


Thirty-Three Roses

by Little_Stargazer



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-10
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-07-29 06:10:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16258292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Stargazer/pseuds/Little_Stargazer
Summary: Two months after the well’s sealing up, Mama Higurashi reaches out to her brother-in-law for a favor. She hopes that sending Kagome to the school he heads will help improve her daughter’s dispirited mood, and he vehemently approves of the idea. When Kagome begins to receive roses paired with reminders of her past, she fears things might not be as finished as she had once believed.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Flower Symbolism-  
> White Rose: Purity, Innocence, Spirituality, Sympathy.  
> Black Rose: Death of a relationship/idea; Could also mean rebirth or the beginning of something new.
> 
> A few things to know:  
> ~ Kagome is not directly reincarnated from Kikyo,  
> ~ There will be multiple flashbacks written in bulk italics.   
> ~ Just sibling between Kaname and Yuki. (partially for story sake, and partially because it’s just not my ship)  
> ~ Other characters from IY will be coming in with the next few chapters.  
> ~ Sesshoumaru will not like Kaname… at all.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.
> 
>  
> 
> Note: Some of my stories I am altering before posting. This is [not] one of them.

 

Kagome stood, watching the older woman across from her with widened eyes. Overall, her mother seemed to be pleased by the news she had just relayed to her, but Kagome was still attempting to absorb it.

“Aren’t you happy, Kagome-chan?” Kun-Loon asked her daughter as she set her palms on her daughter’s shoulders. “You haven’t seen your uncle in such a long time, and, since everything with your trips to the past is finished, I figured this would be a great chance for you to get some fresh air!”

Kagome blinked and downcasted her gaze to avoid meeting her mother’s stare as the older woman continued to speak.

“Getting away from the shrine will do you some good, too,” she continued in a softer voice. She affectionately squeezed Kagome’s shoulders and pulled a brighter smile onto her face. “You’ve been so despondent lately, and I’m worried that it might be the well causing you to be like that. You can go and finally put all of that in your past.”

Kagome stared at her sock-clad feet, and a frown pulled her lips into a downward curve. She appreciated her mother’s efforts, but… 

“I wish you would have talked to me about it before making this decision on your own, Mama,” Kagome cut in abruptly. Knowing her uncle, he had most likely already begun preparing for her to arrive, as well as told Yuki about her coming, too.

In short, there was no way she could just back out of it without providing some sort of disappointment to someone.

“You would have found any and every reason under the sun to avoid doing it if I did it that way, Kagome,” Kun-Loon stated. “You don’t need to be arguing with me over this. You need to go to a place where you can breathe without having the pressure of the well always around you. I know it might sound odd, but I’m still so worried about you. You might not be fighting demons every other day, but I still get so worried when I see you looking so sad.” She was answered by Kagome’s silence, and she stepped towards her so she could pull her into a tight hug.  “I believe some time away is just what you need right now. You miss all your friends, I know, but you can’t just sit around and mull over everything.”

“...”

“Your uncle mentioned that he would start getting everything ready for you right after he got off of the phone, so you should leave tomorrow evening.” Kun-Loon stepped away from her daughter, but she squeezed her shoulders once more before fully releasing her. “Come on, dear, I’ll help you pack all of the things you’ll need to take with you.”

Kagome watched as her mother left the kitchen to start on her way towards her bedroom upstairs. Once the older woman was out of the room, Kagome let out a tired sigh as she pressed her hands against her face. She combed her fingers through her bangs as she pushed them back out of her eyes.

Even though she was sorta annoyed over having all of this decided without any of her own input, she couldn’t deny that the option of seeing Yuki and her uncle again did sound nice. It had been forever since she had last seen them, so it would be something long overdue.

She let her arms fall back down to rest freely at her sides as she finally began to follow the path her mother had taken upstairs. Even with her small collection of positive thoughts in her head, her steps were heavy and reluctant. It had only been two months since the well had gotten sealed up, so, of course, she would still be adjusting to being back. It didn’t help any that she missed the faces of her friends and companions from the past. Leaving wouldn’t do anything to fix it. All it would do is just put space between her and what was once her portal to the past.

Still, even if she believed that she couldn’t just demand not to go. Her uncle and cousin knew of her impending arrival, and her mother also seemed to be enthusiastic over her going to get some time away. Letting all three of them down wouldn’t leave her feeling particularly happy, either.

For now, it just seemed to be for the best if she went along with it.

* * *

 

The large school she stared up at filled her with an odd feeling. It was already late at night, and she attempted to ignore that feeling in her chest. 

She made her way down the walkway with a medium sized bag slung over her shoulder. Despite her mother’s protests, she had ended up bringing her bow and quiver of arrows along with her just to be on the safe side. The silence of the night surrounded her as she walked, and the brisk air brushed along her skin. The rest of her luggage had already arrived prior to her own arrival, and she was curious as to where it had been put.

“Kagome!”

The raven-haired girl came to a sudden halt at hearing her name get called. Not even a second later, another girl had appeared in front of her, and Kagome nearly ended up dropping her bag to the ground out of surprise. It was quiet between the two of them, each one staring the other down before the new arrival broke it.

“Ah… you  _ are _ Kagome, right?”

Yuki stared at the woman she assumed to be her cousin. At spotting the new figure walking into the school grounds, she had automatically thought it to be her cousin, but now she was left recalling how long it had been since they had last seen one another. Any worry she felt left her when she noticed how the girl offered her a familiar smile.

“Yuki, it’s so nice to see you again!” Kagome let her bag drop to the ground gently as she took a step closer to the other girl. They threw their arms around one another and shared a tight hug before parting and looking one another over.

“You look really different!” Yuki stated once getting a good look at the blue-eyed girl. “Your hair was so short the last time I saw you, but I like your long hair. It looks good on you.”

“Well, you seem to have cut and kept your own hair short,” Kagome commented. She looked Yuki over with a sharper eye before smiling. “Though… short hair is definitely a nice look for you, too.” At her comment, Yuki beamed and rose a hand to pat down an area of her hair that stuck up at an odd angle.

The pair hosted a short conversation before Yuki suddenly whirled around and beckoned Kagome to follow her with a quick wave of her hand. Before she could question the brunette’s actions, Yuki spoke up once more.

“I was told to come get you and help you so you don’t get lost or wander off somewhere.”

Kagome nodded in understanding and plucked her bag back up from the ground. A second later she fell into step with Yuki. The pair made their way further into the school grounds, and, presumably, to the office of the headmaster of the school.

It would be interesting, considering the type of personality her uncle often expressed. It was something she had to prepare herself for, to say the very least.

 


	2. Chapter One

“You finally made it!”

The first thing that greeted her once she had walked through the door was her uncle’s enthusiastic and excited voice. Kagome pulled a small smile onto her face and waved to where her uncle sat at his desk.

Kaien smiled broadly in comparison to Kagome, and he waved his own hand in an encouragement to get her to step closer to where he sat. Kagome set her bag out of the way, and she took slow steps over to the desk.

“Oh my! The last time I saw you, you were so tiny!”

A pink flush tinted her cheeks a warm hue, and she let out a tiny squeak when he hugged her abruptly from the other side of the desk, his body dipping forward a bit. When he released her he fell slumped on the top of his desk with a joyous smile resting on his face.

“You’re still a cute little thing, though, aren’t you?”

Her blush deepened at those words, and she combed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to swallow down a huff. 

“I can’t help that fact…” she muttered with a pout on her face.

Kaien laughed at the reaction he had gotten, and he gently patted the top of her head in a soft, affectionate touch. At the action, her pout only deepened. Kagome worked on smoothing out her hair, being very careful as she removed any tangles his motions might have knotted into the thick locks. By the time she had finished, she finally became aware of the fact that Yuki was no longer present in the room, and she looked around in hidden confusion. Her blue eyes settled on Kaien, and she eventually sank down in an empty chair on the opposite side of the desk.

Kaien looked her over with the same smile on his face. He folded his hands together and balanced his chin on the back of them. It took a few more minutes before the girl across from him finally began to relax, and not long after that, he began to speak once again.

“Kun-Loon expressed a lot of concern over you when she broached the subject of you coming here,” he began, waiting for her attention to get placed on him before continuing, “and looking at you now, I can understand her worries.”

Kagome blinked in confusion, and she tilted her head to the side. “I appreciate all the concern, Uncle, but it really isn’t needed,” she said as she waved her hands in a manner that was meant to be disarming. She was unsure of how much he knew about her days spent time hopping, and she was concerned that she might say one thing too much. “I just have to adjust, I guess.”

Kaien nodded at her words, and she was left curious as to if he had decided to agree to her statement.

“Well, I must ask you something before it becomes too late to do so.”

“Oh…” Kagome nodded her head to encourage him to speak, and, once she had, he looked back at her with that familiar gleaming smile.

“How do you feel about attending this school?” Kaien asked her. “You are not made uncomfortable by the presence of vampires, are you? I imagine with your spiritual energy it might be a bit… tense for you.”

“It will take some time to get used to it all,” Kagome stated with honesty. A second later, a small smile lined her lips, and she clasped her hands together in her lap. “No matter that, though. If I get to see you and Yuki again, then I guess I’ll just have to learn to deal with the vampires.” If they kept a safe distance from her, then that would be best for both parties.

Kaien was silent following her statement, and Kagome sat as still as she could. Just as she was about to ask if he was okay or not, he suddenly bolted up out of his chair as he threw an arm over his face dramatically.

“You’re so sweet to your uncle and your cousin!” he half-wailed, and Kagome bit her lip to hold back the sigh she felt tempted to heave.

How was it that Yuki managed to deal with him every day…? 

The door opened again, but it didn’t silence Kaien any, and Kagome turned a bit to see who had entered the room. Yuki had returned, and with her was someone she was not familiar with. She took the time to observe this new figure, but she did not even try to be subtle in her observation of him. 

The very first thing she noticed about him was his stunning white hair. The color reminded her of Sesshoumaru’s, as did the silky texture it looked to have, but it was much shorter than the demon’s hair. The next thing she observed about him was the unique shade of his eyes. They were a light purple. Looking a bit harder, she decided them to be a soft shade of lavender. He was also much taller than Yuki and herself. He was neither smiling nor frowning, and his expression also made her think of Sesshoumaru.

She was curious as to why she was being made to meet him directly, but she refrained from speaking any questions as she continued to make her observations on him.

His aura told her that he was born human, but there was something more to him under the surface. An aura of a vampire brushed along her senses, and she knew right away that it came from him. It wasn’t as strong or obvious as the ones elsewhere on the school’s campus, but it  _ was _ there. That much she was certain of. She made no mention of it, however. Instead, she looked towards Yuki, silently hoping for an explanation of him being there.

“This is Zero,” Yuki introduced him to her before doing the exact same and introducing her to him. “Zero, this is Kagome.”

Zero?

Well, a name like that paired with a face like that would be easy to remember.

Kagome stood up from her chair and approached the pair still standing near the door. She stopped herself a few feet away from them, and she looked up so her full attention was on Zero. 

Admittedly, she felt smaller than she should have in front of him due to his height combined with the expression he wore. She did not allow that to perturb her, however, and she pulled a small, yet peaceful smile onto her face as she stared up at him.

“My sweet niece and cute son finally get to meet!”

“I am not your son,” Zero shot back at Kaien, but the words had very little effect on the long-haired man. She got the feeling they were said often.

Kagome paid no attention to anything being said by the three in the room with her, and she instead settled on watching Zero with a curious eye once more.

“Oh, Kagome-chan!”

Kagome jerked at hearing her uncle call her name, and she turned so she could look at him completely. The sudden call of her name had startled her a bit, but the smile on his face did make her calm a bit.

“I promised I would call to let Kun-Loon know you arrived,” Kaien stated as he stepped out from behind his desk, and he began to make his way to the door. “Is there anything you want me to tell her?”

Those words caused her to remain silent for a few moments as she thought to herself. Nothing of urgency stuck out to her, and she ended up shaking her head. “Nothing in particular,” she stated, “maybe just that I’ll call her tomorrow and let her know how I’m settling in.”

Kaien nodded at her words and patted her head as he went past her. “It’s so nice to have you here~!”

Kaien left the room, and then it was just the three teenagers that remained there. Kagome watched the doors for a few seconds before she turned her attention towards the window.

“What caused her to have you come here?” Yuki asked after a minute of undisturbed silence. 

“She thought it would be good for me. I tried telling her that I was fine, but she had already gotten in touch with Uncle and everything,” Kagome responded, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want to worry about it right now, though.”

She wasn’t sure what her mother wanted out of having her come here, honestly. Being away from the well wouldn’t do much, especially since the Shikon Jewel still remained with her.

At the thought of the jewel, Kagome could feel the cool, smooth surface of the pink bauble underneath her snug hoodie. It rubbed against her skin with each movement she made, but she only felt it when she thought of the jewel. It wasn’t as troublesome as she would have thought it to be, as it was kept under wraps fairly well in her hold. Her own aura overshadowed the jewel’s quiescent one.

Upon returning to her possession, the jewel resumed the dormancy it had whilst within her body, and it would remain that way until it was called to grant a wish.

Out of reflex, Kagome rose a hand and placed it over the outline of the jewel underneath the white material she wore. It was almost impossible to believe that something so tiny and pretty could so easily cause another war to get stirred up due to one’s own greed. All it took was one malicious being to bring around terrifying happenings. It was a frightening thought to have. Almost as frightening as the possibility of it ever happening, should it fall into the wrong hand.

A frown lined her lips, and she let her hand lower from where it hovered over her chest. She willed her surly expression away and let it get replaced by her casual, small smile.

“Being here won’t be all that troublesome, though,” Kagome stated, and her words tore through the silence that had been rebuilt inside the room. “The fact that I get to see my family makes it worth it.”

Kaien, Yuki, and, even though she had only just met him and their interaction so far had been minimal, Zero as well.

They all were  _ her _ family, and she  _ would _ be certain that  _ all _ three of them were safe and well protected. Her strong urge to protect them all seemed as natural as breathing to her.

“At the very least, I am really happy about that!” Kagome said while her small smile grew into one larger and much more radiant. She laughed and clasped her hands together when Yuki mimicked her smile.

* * *

 

Clawed fingers loosely held the thorn-covered stem of the beautiful and pristine white rose as he took one last sniff of its lovely aroma. Not even a second later the white petals of the flower were dipped into a container of black liquid. The flower was only kept in the liquid for a few seconds before it was removed from it. As the black liquid continued to drip from the once flawless petals, the snow colored flower had now become stained with the dark from the liquid.

The flower was then rinsed off, but the dark color remained. However, the original color of white could still be seen underneath in a few different areas where the liquid had not completely saturated the flower. 

The flower was dropped into a vase with a few more just like it before it was moved away and left alone. Right after, his attention drifted towards a small box. Placed inside it was a rose already dried with its snow-white petals forever altered with the dark mixture.  Underneath the stained petals was a slip of folded paper. A cover was placed on the box, and it was then tied and sealed with a black and white striped ribbon.

“Nothing suits you better than the beautiful paleness of the white rose; purity and innocence are what you’ve always conveyed to the entire world. Your very heart is pure and innocent- no… it is not your heart that is that way, but you  _ yourself _ , my dear Miko.”

The box held in his hand was lowered then and placed on top of the table at his side.

“That is why it must be dyed the dark color of black, just for you. It is time for you to shed your purity and your innocent nature. It is time to lay that side of you to rest eternally so you may finally call forth another side. It might frighten you a bit, my dear bird, but do not fret when the time comes. I will come for you as your new nature gets ushered in.”

Sharp fangs caught the gleam of the moonlight shining in through the window, and crimson eyes rose up to focus on the starless sky that remained visible through the pulled-back curtains.

“That is my promise to you, my dear Kagome. Let us awaken that sleeping side of you, now that the time has arisen.”

* * *

 

The glow of the moon cast a shadow throughout his room, and the silver-haired demon completely stopped in all movement as an off feeling coursed through his chest. Gold eyes swept across the room, and he rose from his chair as he left the unread documents behind with lacking interest.

He walked down the vacant halls of the castle-like building he called his home. It had withstood well over five-hundred years of history and battles. There was an unfamiliar chill that ran along his normally warm body, and his frown twisted into an aggravated scowl.

There was a creak of an opening door, the sound catching onto his sensitive hearing right as it had come, and he paused all movement.

“Sesshoumaru-sama?”

The soft voice caused him to turn around, and he knelt closer to the floor as the small girl made her way over to him, rubbing her eyes with the backs of her hands as she did so. “What do you require, Rin?” he asked her, but she shook her head in response.

“Nothing,” Rin admitted. “I heard a noise, and when I looked, I saw you…” Her large, brown eyes remained focused on her Lord's face, and a small frown pulled her lips downward. “Is something wrong?” she asked him.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes as he lifted Rin up from the ground, placing her on his side. He toted her back to her bedroom, and he placed her in bed once more

“There is nothing you need to concern yourself with, Rin,” Sesshoumaru told the small girl, and he motioned for her to lay back down. She followed his demand, and she tugged the blankets back over her as she rested her head back onto her pillows. “Go back to sleep. I did not mean to cause you to wake.”

He remained there until he was positive the girl had fallen asleep once more, only leaving once the soft sounds of her slumbering could be heard. Once out of the room, Sesshoumaru continued down the path he had been taking prior to being halted by the appearance of Rin.

The foreboding feeling he felt continued to mount inside him the further he walked, even though he did not let it show on his face. When he came to his next stop he now stood outside a closed door. He pressed a pale hand against the hardwood, only to snatch it back upon being greeted with a burning shock that jolted through to his bone. He let his hand fall back to his side, and the scowl on his face deepened.

The foul feeling within him reformed in a different way due to the jolt he had been greeted with, and he focused his stare on the imprint of a familiar looking jewel carved into the ancient wood.

A full five-hundred years had passed since the final fight for the jewel, and it now remained in the hand of its rightful bearer.

The thought of the miko that carried the jewel with her caused him to turn on his heel and leave the sealed door behind him as he made his way back to the office he had left.

A visit to her was long overdue.

 


	3. Chapter 2

When broached with the subject, she had agreed to become a Guardian for the school. Much like Yuki and Zero, her traditional Day Class uniform was worn with a white and red armband. Her movements all morning were a bit on the sluggish side as she went about preparing herself for a long day of getting used to the school.

She hadn’t started her Guardian responsibilities last night due to the fact she had been rather preoccupied with unpacking her things. She had gotten to bed in the early hours of the morning, only to wake up an hour later so she could get prepared for her first day.

Kagome yawned behind her hand, swapping her pace from a leisure walk up to a mild jog upon catching sight of Yuki already trying to keep the rest of the Day Class students from breaking free.

How many people actually went to their classrooms, and how many came to wait here just to see a bunch of people walk back to their dorms?

The thought of getting so close to the vampires on the school’s campus did cause her senses to get a bit riled up. Even if they weren’t hostile towards her, or the other students, she could not prevent the build-up of them. Her fingertips began to burn with purification energy, and she tightly intertwined her fingers into the material of her skirt.

Kagome came to a halt a few feet away from where Yuki stood, and she untangled her hands from her skirt as she stretched her arms out a bit, as though she stood taming wild animals.

Frankly, she couldn’t see the appeal of turning into a mess over a couple of attractive faces. It was kinda shameful, to say the least- especially if you let it show so easily. She could understand crushes. After all, she wasn’t immune to them, but, standing in a herd and screaming to be noticed definitely took things a step or two too far.

She felt them approaching before it became apparent to the others there, and Kagome had to prepare herself the best she could before things could get messy.

“You really shouldn’t push so much,” Kagome stated to the mass of female students pushing against one another in an attempt to get a better glance at any one of the Night Class students. A scowl tilted her lips into a downward curve, and she bit down on her lower lip gently when her words went on to be ignored. “A lot of you could end up getting hurt if you don’t let up on all the shoving!” Kagome said, raising her voice a bit and speaking more clearly. “If you end up getting taken to the infirmary, then you will not be able to see the people you like!”

The mass of female students seemed to calm down a bit at those words, understanding them to be cautionary and a warning in nature. She didn’t care about their crushes, but she didn’t want to risk someone getting a scrape while in such a close proximity to creatures that drank blood for sustainability. 

“I know no one wants to be made to leave early, so, please be patient and don’t shove so much.”

She saw Yuki flash her a thumbs up, and she took that as a sign that she was doing moderately okay at this point. Kagome took a look around, tuning out the excited chatter of the girls as she did so. It was then that she noticed they were one short, and that it was just Yuki and herself upholding the responsibility of keeping the classes separated.

“Hey, Yuki-chan” Kagome called out to her cousin and waited until Yuki could give her enough attention.

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t Zero-kun supposed to be helping us do this…?”

The slightly agitated tone she spoke with made Yuki upright her position a bit. The coarseness of her voice seemed to have startled her a bit, as it was an abrupt contrast from her usually polite and sweet tone. However, she was unable to give her an answer before the female students being kept at bay began to get riled up once more, and they resumed their pushing and shoving to try and get to the front of the crowd. Both of them could no longer focus on one another, and they had to persist in keeping the others back and out of the way.

The appearance of the Night Class students brought along a new wave that needed to be calmed down but no good was accomplished. Several excited girls managed to knock her balance away from her with a careless group shove, and she ended up falling forward before she could catch herself.

“What did I  _ just _ say about shoving?” Kagome hissed as she lifted her weight up onto her palms. She scrambled up onto her knees, adjusting her skirt back down, and gave a sigh of relief once realizing she hadn’t been scraped up any. She brushed her hair back out of her face and quickly drew back a hand that rested on the concrete before it could get stepped on by an excited girl. “Could have been worse, though…” she muttered to herself.

Kagome began to push herself up from the ground, only to come to a stiff halt when an outstretched hand fell into her line of vision. The aura brushing against her senses told her that a vampire stood  _ way _ too close to her for her own comfort.

_ Why was it so close to her _ ?

She bit her lip and forced a polite “thanks” as she was guided back onto her feet by a strong tug upwards.

“You fell rather hard,” a calm voice rang in her ears. She refused to buy into the sweet sound of it. “You didn’t get injured, did you?”

Kagome finally turned her attention up to see who stood so close to her. Her eyes met a shade of reddish-brown, and she felt for a moment as she forgot how to breathe properly.

His attractiveness did not bewitch her as it did to so many others, but instead, she was left feeling a strong pang of recollection the longer she looked at this person. She had seen this person before, but she was unable to remember when that was. Her free hand tightened into a tiny fist, and she downcasted her gaze so she no longer had to match his calm stare.

Though the haze of attempting to recall this person Kagome came to the realization that he still had a secure grip on her hand. Instinct guided her next movement, and she forcefully yanked her hand out of his hold.

“Thank you for helping me up, but I would rather not be made to go through extended periods of contact with you,” she stated in a cold drawl. Her voice remained low, keeping the words from being heard by any of the Day Class students that remained blind to the fact of vampires being present at the school.

“Kagome-chan?” Yuki set a hand on her arm, and the contact pulled the blue-eyed girl’s attention onto the brunette. “Do you remember Kaname?”

“... ah…” So Yuki had noticed the confusion on her face, then?  Kagome looked away from Yuki before she wrapped her arms around her midsection, tangling her fingers in the blazer of her uniform. “No… not at all.”

“I think you only met him once or twice,” Yuki commented, offering Kagome an assuring smile. “It was near the time when we first met, too.”

That was it..!

Those words caused Kagome to tighten the grip she had on herself, and the recollection she felt suddenly made sense. She nodded her head, and a smile of relief appeared on her face.

The first time she was taken to meet Yuki was the night Kaien had agreed to adopt her. If she remembered correctly, Kaname had been the one to take Yuki to Kaien in the first place. Thinking about it, that was the first time she had ever met the man that was her uncle, too.

Her memories prior to that moment felt hazy to her, and a frown soon replaced the smile on her face. That was odd…

Kagome shook her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts, and she soon realized that the rest of the Night Class had already returned to their dorm while Kaname remained standing there. Class would be starting soon for them, and she pushed herself away from where she stood so close to the vampire.

“You should go already, Kuran.”

Before she could tell him to leave, someone else had already beaten her to it. Kagome glanced up just enough so she could spot that Zero seemed to have finally arrived- despite that there was really no need for him at this point. She gave a hum of agreement, and slowly made her way to pass by Zero. She could feel the following stare of Kaname, but she only continued to ignore it with each step she took away from him.

“I’ll find my way to class now since everything has been handled,” Kagome stated once she had gotten far enough away. She did not give any of them any time to say something that might keep her there longer, and she left the area with her rush hidden by her concerns of making it to class.

She found a bit of solace in the quietness around her. After she had walked far enough away to where she no longer felt the constant brushes from their auras, Kagome lifted her hand up and stared at her palm with a mild glare on her face.

She remembered the jolt she had felt upon touching Kaname’s hand, but there was no mark of any sort causing discoloration to the skin of her palm. It was possible that any markings made could have already healed up, but she doubted that for a reason unclear to her.

Her thoughts turned to Kaname then, and the grimace on her face deepened a fraction. There was something about him that made her hesitant of him, despite having been familiar with him when she was a young child. Perhaps it was due to the time spent on the other side of the well. Perhaps it had caused her to become cautious of creatures that were not humans.

Kagome let out a sigh and shook her head.

Now was not the time for her to worry herself with vampires. She was also at this school to resume her education, after all. 

* * *

 

The box resting on the surface of the desk in her room caught her attention right away, and she came to a slow halt upon spotting it. It had not been there when she had left her room this morning, and she was curious about how it had ended up there. She made her way over to it and opened up the card placed on top of it.

> **_“Kagome._ **
> 
> **_\- 01/33”_ **

She narrowed her eyes at the words written on the blank background of the card. She tossed it to the side and into the waste bin, seeing as there was no information as to who had been the sender of the box.

Kagome focused her attention on the neatly tied ribbon, grabbing one end of it and pulling slowly to undo the little bow. She set the ribbon to the side and removed the cover of the box, only to almost drop it the second after.

She was wary as she dipped her fingers into the box, and she picked up the rose within it. Her thumb got pricked by one of the many thorns that littered the rose’s stem, and she let out a quiet hiss before she pulled her thumb up to her mouth to lick the blood away.

“Who the hell sends a rose still covered in thorns…” she muttered in blatant agitation as she once more went to pick the flower up. Once it was held in between her thumb and finger, she looked it over with a careful eye.

It reeked of a slight odor of ink, and it masked the natural scent of the flower. The very top of the rose petals was stained a dark black, but the large remainder of the petals remained a pure shade of snow white. She ran a free finger along the thin line of black ink adorning the petals, and her frown deepened as her confusion grew.

Her gaze darted back to the box the rose had come in. Within it was a folded scrap of paper, and she discarded the rose to the surface of her desk in favor of picking up the paper.

Elegant handwriting scrawled out in a dark shade of red caught her eye.

> _ “My dear little bird, _
> 
> _ This rose was created with a very concise meaning behind it. The vast majority of its beautiful petals have remained untouched by the ink which colors the very top of it. The purity and innocence that the white rose symbolizes is a perfect match to you. _
> 
> _ This flower epitomizes the first time you were pulled down the well. You were still so pure. So sweet. So innocent. Yet, even at the very start, that pure, sweet innocence of yours was already starting to dwindle away just like a dying flame. _
> 
> _ Gaze upon this flower and recall the first time you were forced to realize that your life was not ordinary. It must be rather bittersweet for you, hm? _
> 
> _ I, myself, wonder if you have any realization as to what you really are. Well, if not, then soon will come the day for you to learn. _
> 
> _ Do not fly so fast, my little bird. There is no rush to what will be the ultimate endgame for you.” _

Her glare lingered on the paper she held up until her trembling hand crushed it into a crumpled up ball. She threw it into the waste bin all the while she bit down on her lower lip to keep an angered growl from tearing free from her throat. The metallic sting of blood met her tongue, and she let up on the pressure she was putting onto her lip so it could heal.

She could hear her heart pounding loudly in her head as she snatched up the rose from the desk, this time paying no mind to the sharp thorns along its stem, and she threw it into the trash, along with the rest of the  _ gift. _

Her mind remained plagued by thoughts of the letter received with the rose, and it only served to make the panic she felt more obvious.

Who… who had sent it, and what did they mean…?

“Ultimate endgame?” she repeated those words to herself, but it only left her feeling more confused. “What endgame does it mean?”

Kagome rose a hand up to curl her fingers around the Shikon Jewel out of worry.

The jewel should have been an arc that was long-since closed in her life. She did not wish to go through another war just to keep it out of the wrong hands.

Not so soon.

_ Not ever again _ .

* * *

 

It had been almost an entire week since she had gotten the strange box. She had spoken to Kaien about it the morning following opening it, but he could not tell her who the sender had been. Upon realizing it was meant for her, he had it put in her room to be sure she had gotten it.

She did not bother to explain what was inside it. She mentioned the flower, and he then pressured her lightly to see if she could have some sort of secret admirer. Hearing him talk so lightheartedly about it made her decide to not mention the letter that had come with it. Perhaps it would be best if it was kept that way for now.

Ignoring it didn’t accomplish much, though, as she received a second one yesterday morning. Kaien had given it to her directly as per her request, but she had yet to open it.

Kagome dug her hand into the bag that held her bow and arrows, and she very carefully removed the unopened box. She assumed it would hold another flower and note within it, but her reluctance to open it only left her uncertain on the accurateness of that belief. She let out a light sigh as she finally psyched herself up enough to open the blue box.

Its ribbon was identical to the one of the other box, but the box itself was now a different color. The first box had been a deep red, a color very close to crimson in hue.

One look at the contents of the box told her that, yes, it was just as she had thought.

Inside the box rested another rose and another note underneath it.

The rose had more black on it this time, and she took a quick peek at the card that had been tied to the box with the ribbon.

> **_“Kagome._ **
> 
> **_\- 02/33_ **

So, there were thirty-three roses that were meant to be sent to her? It left her wondering what would come following the final rose’s arrival.

She had no interest in the flower itself, and she attempted to bypass it entirely in order to reach the paper underneath it. Unfortunately, just like the last one, this rose was also laden with several thorns. She hadn’t been expecting to get pricked this time around, and Kagome let out a sharp hiss as she ended up dropping the entire thing to the ground out of surprise.

Several of her fingers had gotten stuck by the thorns on the stem. She counted four different puncture wounds as well as a longer scratch from where one thorn had caught onto her skin when she had yanked her hand back.

Again, she was left wondering what kind of jackass sent a rose still covered in thorns!

Kagome held her hand up to her mouth and cleaned the blood up the best she could as the wounds healed up. Given her current position of patrolling the campus whilst the vampires were attending class, bleeding right now wasn’t the most ideal timing.

“Dammit…” she growled under her breath at feeling the approaching aura of a vampire. Her efforts of cleaning the blood away had not been quick enough. Kagome kicked the box further behind her so it would not get picked up by any random person, as she had yet to read the note within.

A familiar blonde stepped out in front of her, and Kagome let out an exhausted sigh.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, Hanabusa-kun?” She was unable to keep the sarcastic undertones from her voice, and she leveled her blue eyes to meet his own.

Their eyes were fairly close in color, though her eyes were just a bit darker.

“There was this rather lovely aroma from over here,” he responded as he took another step closer towards her. He seemed to sniff the air around them, and he offered her a smile. “Don’t tell me… that’s  _ your _ blood I smell. It has a very nice scent to it, cutie.”

“I’ll shock you.” Kagome retorted, not being one of the girls who seemed to fawn over him so much. 

“Huuuh?” Hanabusa cocked his head to the side with a pout on his face. “But I haven’t even done anything yet!”

“That might be true, but I do not want to risk you doing something, either,” Kagome responded as she bent forward to pick up the box she had dropped. There were small splotches of red along the plant’s stem, causing her to curse inside her head. She hadn’t even thought about the blood that got on the plant, only having been focused on the cuts themselves.

“Hmm? What’s that?” Without warning, Hanabusa was suddenly behind her and peering over her shoulder at the box she held with a curious look on his face. Kagome slammed the cover back onto the box and turned just enough so she could glare at the blonde suddenly invading her personal space.

“None of your business,” she told him with a huff. 

“Aw, don’t be that way,” he whined, only to turn around and smile at her a second later. “Whatever it is, it smells really good. Your fingers got pricked by the thorns on the rose, didn’t they?”

He gave no warning before he reached to grasp at the hand that did not hold the box. A fang grazed the back of her hand a second later, and a streak of red appeared in its wake, only for it to get licked away by the blue-eyed vampire. Kagome attempted to yank her hand free from his hold. His grip did not budge any, however, and she began to grow even more agitated.

“Just as I thought…” Hanabusa murmured against the back of her hand. “Your blood is just as sweet as it smells.”

Kagome glared at him and let the box she held fall to the ground. The next second she lifted and placed her fingertips against his forehead. Hanabusa gave a yelp of surprise as he was shocked by her.

“I warned you,” she stated as she yanked her hand back away from him. She wore a bored expression on her face as she rubbed the back of her hand against her blazer to remove the saliva. “Also, I’m pretty sure you guys aren’t allowed to drink blood on campus, or something like that.”

An approaching aura alerted her to another vampire coming to join them, but, upon placing who it belonged to, Kagome picked up the box once again, this time shoving it back inside her bag, as she turned around.

“Good evening, Kaname-kun,” Kagome greeted him before he had even fully appeared. “I presume you’ve come to collect that one?” she asked as she motioned towards the stiff and still Hanabusa with her thumb. She adjusted the jewel around her neck, fixing the small gem so it was back underneath her uniform top. After some point of her getting focused on that task, the blonde vampire had left, leaving her to stand alone with Kaname.

She didn’t have any genuine issues with the tall vampire, but a part of her remained wary of him. A large part of her had been anticipating for the vampires of the school to want to avoid her since she was a Miko and she could very easily purify them if she felt the urge to. Granted, she wouldn’t do that, but still.

“Are you alright?”

The calm voice caught her attention, and she turned around so she could look at him directly. “I’m fine,” she responded, offering him a small smile out of reflex. He approached her, and she swallowed the urge to stiffen up a bit. She wondered why he remained standing there with her, but, before she could ask, he had begun to speak once again.

“Do you feel uncomfortable being around me?”

Kagome blinked a few times out of confusion as her brain registered his question.

“I wouldn’t say I get uncomfortable,” Kagome said once she had thought about her answer. “I think cautious is a much better word for it.” 

She saw no reason to lie to him since he was straightforwardly asking for an answer.

“It isn’t just you, though,” she continued when Kaname made no move to respond. “I feel that way towards the entire Night Class. It’s a good thing to be wary in situations like this. I don’t mean to be. It’s just something I do without ever really helping it.”

She had fallen silent, no longer seeing a reason to keep speaking, and a large hand was set on the top of her head. She stood still upon feeling it.

Was he petting her?

It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, but…

She felt a bit awkward just standing there like that, and she began to comb through her brain in search of something that would put an end to the interaction for the time being.

“You are rather different from how you were upon our first meeting, Kagome.”

His words confused her, and Kagome expressed that confusion clearly on her face as she looked up at him.

“There you are.”

Kagome blinked at hearing the voice come from behind her. She whirled around, only for her eyes to land on the figure of Zero. She hadn’t even noticed him approaching… 

“Did you need me, Zero-kun?” Kagome asked him, moving away from Kaname and going to stand a bit closer to the silver-haired male.

“Someone is here to see you, and he’s waiting in the Headmaster’s office.”

His words caused her more confusion, but she nodded and smiled in Zero’s direction. “Thank you for finding me and telling me! I’ll head over there right away.”

With those words, Kagome waved a quick farewell to Kaname before she picked up her bag and marched all the way back over to Zero. She took him by his sleeve and tugged him along with her, not wanting to risk leaving him alone with Kaname- especially considering the brazen hatred he felt towards vampires.

Zero attempted to pull his arm free from Kagome’s grip, only to find himself unable to do so.

“Just how strong are you!?” he shouted at her, but he the only response he received was a chipper laugh that came from her.


	4. Chapter 3

Even with her no longer standing in front of him, the sweet aroma she bore remained behind. A beautiful scent of rain-doused lilies and fresh strawberries. Her scent lingered on the tips of his fingers, and he was able to recall the silky texture of her midnight colored hair.

Kaname held his fingers up to his nose, relishing in the delicate aroma that clung to them, unintentionally thinking back to the first moment he had met her.

_ The small figure hiding behind the human woman refused to budge, even as the man standing at her side attempted to push her closer to the confused girl standing a few feet away. Instead, the girl with a bright red bow tied in her hair tightened her grip on the woman’s leg with a quiet whimper of discomfort. _

_ Yuki watched from beside him with wide, curious eyes, but she did not attempt to go near the hiding girl. _

_ “It will take some time for her to adjust to the room since there are so many people,” a man with light brown hair said, the same man that had attempted to get her to move out from behind his wife. “Even if she does move, don’t expect her to stray too far away from Kun-Loon for too long.” _

_ “She seems to have taken an immense liking to her,” Kaien stated as he stood from his chair. He tried to get closer to the midnight-haired girl. When she flinched back, burying her nose against the woman’s leg, he let his hand drop and he put more space between them. “Kun-Loon must make her feel safe.” _

_ “She is the one who found her.” _

_ “Is that so?” _

_ The brunette woman nodded, and she placed a gentle hand on the top of the child’s head. A second later, she turned her wide, blue eyes up and gave her a content smile. “It was as though she was placed on the shrine grounds by someone, but there was no trace of anyone being there, aside from her. There was a metal bracelet clipped around her wrist with the name ‘Kagome’ was carved into it.” Kun-Loon knelt down and scooped the child up into her arms. In turn, she clung tightly to her and nuzzled against the column of her throat. _

_ “Upon waking, she saw Kun-Loon. It was almost as though she had imprinted on her somehow. She even recognizes her as a maternal figure vocally.” _

_ “I am uncertain what she is, but… here, come look.” Kun-Loon got her husband to open the child’s mouth while Kaien got back up and went to stand by the group. “She has fangs, but they are not like the fangs of a vampire. They’re a lot smaller, too.”  _

_ “Fascinating…” _

_ At the sudden attention, tears welled up in her blue eyes, and she began to squirm to get free. She squirmed so much that Kun-Loon had to put her down, and a second later she finally walked forward on her own. She looked around the room until her attention landed on Yuki, and a large smile appeared on her face as she closed the distance between them. As she got closer, Yuki looked back at the other child with a similar smile on her own face. She met her halfway, and the two stared at one another for a few seconds. _

_ The two children shared a hug, and Kagome rubbed her cheek against Yuki’s. The others in the room watched the interaction with mixed reactions. When the pair slid down to the floor, still with their arms around one another, they seemed content and calm. _

_ ….. _

_ The pair that had brought Kagome there had offered to go get a few things to help Kaien with Yuki, and they had left the dark-haired child there. Upon their leaving, Kagome had detached herself from Yuki almost instantaneously. She began to wait with an expression of sadness on her face. Like a dog awaiting its master’s return, she stood at the window. Even when Kaien tried to get her to step away from it, she would just return the second he placed her back down on her own feet. _

_ When he glanced back at the window, Kaname noted that the girl had finally stepped away from it of her own choice. He looked around, only to spot her staring up at him. Since he was the only one present in the room with her, he figured it must have drawn her to him. _

_ Kaname stared down at the small girl looking at him with a curious light gleaming in her blue eyes. She had finally moved away from the window, where she had been standing and waiting for the two she had come with to arrive back. The couple had only been gone for an hour so far. Whereas Yuki had fallen asleep already, Kagome was stubbornly wide awake and waiting for their return. _

_ Her hair was in disarray, and he lifted a hand to fix it. Several locks of her hair had gotten tangled over the bow tied in the back. She remained still and patient as he fixed it back, allowing him to comb out the tangles with his fingertips. _

_ “It is very late. Why don’t you lay down?” he questioned her, but he did not get a response from her. Instead, Kagome clumsily climbed up onto the couch so she was now sitting next to him with her knees tucked underneath her. Her gaze was fixated on his face, and Kaname extended a hand to lightly touch her cheek. She covered his with her own tiny hand and nuzzled against it while he watched her in hidden curiosity. _

_ “Are you scent marking me?” Kaname asked her. He did not pull his hand away from her. Her actions mirrored how she had acted around Yuki when she had rubbed their cheeks together. _

_ He froze his hand when she moved back, and he sat still as she moved closer to him. _

_ What a strange child she was…  _

_ Her scent clung to him, just as his now clung to her. He matched her stare with his own, and he observed how she was now focused keenly on him. When she sat up a bit he followed her movements with one hand in case she ended up slipping. A wide smile was on her face as she reached towards him, and he realized then what she was wanting to do. _

_ A small finger prodded at his lower lip, and he opened his mouth a bit wider. Her finger traced along the side of one of his fangs, and he noted how her smile faltered into a look of confusion. The fangs she had, though much smaller, were visible through the gap of her mouth. She slowly retracted her finger from his mouth, but the look of confusion remained on her face. _

_ She held a hand up to her own mouth and felt one of her own fangs before lowering both of her hands into her lap with a sullen look on her face. _

_ Upon noticing his fangs, had she been hoping to find them to be like her own? Kaname was confused by her actions, and he observed how she pulled her knees up to her chest with a quiet whine coming from her. He lifted a hand and placed it on top of her head, and it caused her frown to lift into a barely visible smile. _

_ The sound of the door opening jarred her attention away from him, and she moved without sparing him a second glance as she barreled down from the couch and darted straight towards Kun-Loon. Her hands wound into the material of her long skirt, and Kun-Loon turned her attention to Kagome right away. _

_ “Okaa-san!” _

_ Kaname watched as Kagome was picked up by the woman. _

_ Such a strange child... _

He wondered how much she could remember. She was so different now, compared to how she was back then. It seemed as though her curious nature had been replaced by wariness, and he desired to know why that was.

Kaname brushed his fingers along his cheek, the action leaving a trail of her remaining scent along his skin.

* * *

She almost came to a complete stop upon reaching the Headmaster’s office due to the mere caress of the aura she had felt. She was both curious as to why he had come, as well as happy for her chance to see him again. She opened the door, and, as soon as she stepped through the threshold, a thin pair of arms were wrapped tightly around the swell of her hips. Kagome was almost knocked backward out of surprise, but she caught herself before she could lose her footing. A small smile lifted her lips at the sight of the small girl holding onto her.

“Onee-chan!”

Rin’s voice was the only identifiable noise in the room, and she could feel the following stare of the demon lord as he observed the interaction between the two girls. Kagome ignored his presence for a moment as she dropped down to her knees, placing her hands on Rin’s shoulders as she looked her over with a smile.

“What a lovely surprise this is!” Kagome said as she squeezed Rin against her chest. A second later, Kagome stood back up with Rin clinging to her. She balanced the young girl on her hip, and she then recalled the presence of Rin’s companion.

He stood, emotionless as ever, and she looked at him with a calm smile now lifting her lips upwards.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Sesshoumaru-sama,” Kagome said as she finally spoke directly to him. It was a small shocker for her to see him out of the garb he had worn so long ago, but she realized that even he had to modernize himself or else he’d draw the wrong kinds of attention. The black suit he wore made him look elegant, and his long, silver hair only served to reinforce that impression. The sharp contrast between the colors complimented one another. After taking a few seconds to look him over, she shook her head and giggled to herself.

Even after modernizing himself, Sesshoumaru definitely still looked to be something straight out of legends.

The markings along his face were kept proudly on display, and the molten gold of his eyes still had that same, powerful harshness within it. Even with his expression void of emotions, his stare alone was more than enough to cause dozens of people to freeze in their tracks out of fear. It only got worse once his patience dwindled down, and he became truly enraged. It was natural for people to get intimidated by him. The very air around him was fearsome, and she could recall rather clearly how it had taken her so long to get used to his domineering presence.

Still, despite the intimidation he was capable of making so many people experience, he also was surrounded by an air of regality. If anyone would be able to attract more admirers than the Night Class students, then it would definitely be Sesshoumaru. The only thing that could possibly sway any affections was the coldness he expressed towards practically everyone he did not tolerate, but even that wouldn’t be enough to hinder a bunch of teenager’s attractions.

The glare on Sesshoumaru’s face was directed towards her, and she unintentionally took a step backward. It puzzled her, and she was left wondering if she had somehow done something bad to warrant this visit. She set Rin down on the ground just as Sesshoumaru turned his head away from the two of them.

“The  _ stench _ around you is revolting, Miko.”

“Huh?”

He recalled her oblivious nature and Sesshoumaru closed his eyes before shaking his head. Of course, her nose would be unable to pick up on it- _A scent mark._ He closed the distance between them, and he trailed his fingers through her hair once he had gotten close enough to reach her. The confusion on her face was ignored by him until he stepped away from her with a content feeling in his chest. The foul scent clinging to her was lightened by his own, but the solution did very little to satisfy him.

How bold. 

To touch something they had no right to claim... As if he’d  _ ever _ allow their claim to stand on her.

“I do not wish for you to reek of vampires, Miko,” he told her in a tone that was close to frigid. “Remember to keep your distance from them.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Kagome told him with a barely audible huff. She turned to greet her uncle, who sat watching the both of them in curiosity. Kagome shook her head before taking a step away from the other two in the room, waving a hand towards them. “Sesshoumaru-sama and Rin-chan are are some friends of mine that I made a while back. They are like family to me.” She fell silent then, and she looked back up at Sesshoumaru with renewed curiosity. “Okay, so, why are you here all of a sudden? You’ve never done the whole casual visit thing.”

“You are correct, Miko,” he responded as he placed his full attention back on her. “However, given the time that has stretched in between our last time seeing one another, I figured a visit was in order.”

So, he really was here for just a simple visit? She found that hard to buy into, and she pursed her lips. Then again, he had also brought along Rin, so maybe that really was it…

“Though now I wish to know why you have chosen to subject yourself to attending a school full of vampires.” His voice, demanding an answer, startled her. Humans, he could tolerate, considering they were no threat to her, but vampires… that was another story altogether.

“Everything is fine,” Kagome responded with a wave of her hand. The action caused him to narrow his eyes in dissatisfaction. “I can handle myself against vampires if I ever have to.”

His dislike for vampires was apparent, but it wasn’t as if he could demand her leave anyway. He’d just have to deal with it.

“And, for your information, I am mainly here to see my Uncle,” she then motioned to Kaien, to which Sesshoumaru followed with a silent glare, “and my cousin, Yuki. Considering the fact that I am already here, I can’t just up and leave.”

“Tch…” 

Kagome matched Sesshoumaru’s glare with one of her own. Despite being caught up in the glaring match with the fearsome demon ruler, Kagome was starting to worry internally. Why did she feel as though she was about to regret saying those words...?

When Sesshoumaru abruptly looked away Kagome practically breathed a sigh of relief.

“Very well,” he told her as he began to comb his fingers through his hair, smoothing out invisible tangles as he went. “If that is your decision on it, then I shall make my own to ensure your safety from those beasts.”

How ironic… the  **Killing Perfection** calling someone else a beast.

“If you will remain, then so shall I,” he stated, and Kagome let out a confused cry of disbelief.

“What? No way!” Kagome shook her head, springing up and becoming more lively than she had been in months. Her face was considerably paler than before as she looked at the demon with astonishment clear in her eyes. “This is a school! Where do you plan on staying!?”

“I will not remain on the school grounds,” he stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. “I will remain in a close distance to you so I may guarantee your safety.”

“I wanna stay with Onee-chan though,” Rin stated. A frown tilted her lips downwards and she tightened her grip on Kagome’s hand.

“Rin-”

“Well, you have yet to get a bunk-mate, Kagome-chan,” Kaien chimed in, silencing Kagome before she could say anything to deny Rin’s wishes. “I don’t think it would hurt for you to have her stay with you for a little while. Of course, if Sesshoumaru-san doesn’t mind, that is.”

“May I, Sesshoumaru-sama?” Rin released Kagome’s hand as she darted over to Sesshoumaru, taking hold of his hand instead. “Onee-chan will protect me!”

Though apprehensive to the idea, he tilted his head in a nod of confirmation. “You may stay if that is your wish, Rin.”

“What about when I go to class?” 

“Why, I’ll look after her!” Kaien offered. “Until you get out of class, that is.”

“Uncle...” Kagome was hesitant of allowing Rin to stay on a campus full of vampires. Even if she was there to protect her, Rin was a curious child. Should she run into a situation that was dangerous… 

A large smile bloomed on Rin’s face, and she wrapped her arms around his leg in a tight hug. She was soon picked up by him, and Sesshoumaru nodded his head to the door. “I will leave before you retire for the night, but I will remain for a little longer.”

“But I have things I need to do,” Kagome tried telling him, but he did not seem interested in listening.

“Leave the night shift to the other two, Kagome-chan,” Kaien told her. When she looked as though she was about to reject the idea, he held a hand up. “They’ve handled it before, and they can do the same tonight. Your friend seems to be a little concerned over something. So why don’t you go handle that?”

“Huh?”

Sesshoumaru, concerned? Those words did not sound like they should ever go together in the same sentence.

“He would not let up on his demands to see you. He is definitely quite scary, though, isn’t he?”

Kagome laughed at the comment. “Yeah, he is a bit scary. Even once you get used to him, that scariness doesn’t really go away. He isn’t bad, though. He is just very protective.” She thought back to his previous statement, and an icky feeling flooded her chest out of worry. “Though… I wonder… Something that concerns Sesshoumaru-sama? That’s a  _ truly _ scary thing.”

She remembered the roses she had received, and she adjusted her bag before waving at Kaien with a forced smile on her face. “I should go now. He’ll follow his nose to my room, but he doesn’t need to be attracting any unneeded attention this late. It’ll cause a commotion if the girls get a good look at him.”

“Good night, Kagome-chan!”

She darted from the room and ran down the hallway in order to catch up with Sesshoumaru and Rin. She could hear Rin chattering away as she got closer, and, upon opening her door to let them inside, she was placed down on the floor.

Not long after arriving at her room, Rin was placed in the spare bed, where she ended up falling asleep rather quickly. Kagome watched Rin for a moment or two before she turned back to look at Sesshoumaru.

“Why do I smell your blood?”

Kagome blinked, taken aback by the question until she recalled the rose she had gotten pricked by earlier.  “I got stuck by some thorns on a rose someone sent me,” she stated. The words got his attention, and Kagome motioned to the bag she kept her bow and arrows in. “I wanted to talk to you about them, but I was waiting.”

“For what?” Sesshoumaru did not look at her as he said those words. He went through the bag until he found the box that smelled strongly of her blood.

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru with a worried gleam shining in her eyes.

He was acting a lot different than she remembered him to be. He still had that same coldness to him, but he was expressing more worry than she had ever seen him show.

“... is something bothering you, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

Her words did not gain his attention as he lifted the rose from the box, only to burn it into nothing with acid from his claws. The next second he held the paper in between his fingers.

“I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t know what’s on it,” she said. “I got another one with the first rose that got sent, but…” she fell silent then, raising one hand to grab at her arm as she lowered her gaze to the floor. The sound of the paper getting unfolded was heard, and Kagome waited to know if he would tell her what it said. 

“It is nothing but nonsensical drabble,” Sesshoumaru stated, but his tone left her doubting his words. A frown weighed her face down.

“The other paper mentioned my first trip down the well,” Kagome said, her words tearing through the silence of the room. “I threw it away because I got so uncomfortable, though.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Sesshoumaru said, giving the paper the same treatment as he had done to the rose.

“Hey!” Kagome was startled to see him destroy the paper. “I didn’t get to read that!”

“There is no point for you to read something that has little worth,” Sesshoumaru told her, silencing any complaint she may have with a powerful glare. Her eyes widened, and she took a cautious step towards him.

“What’s wrong, Sesshoumaru-sama?”

Him acting like he was caused her worry to grow. He was more agitated than ever. She doubted the presence of the vampires on the school’s campus were the entire cause of it.

“There is nothing that you should concern yourself with, Miko,” he said. “Do not pay attention to the letters you receive.”

“Do you know something about them?” Kagome asked him, “something that I don’t know? If you do, you need to tell me then! This person obviously knows things that no one else should. They seem to know things that I don't even know...”

“I will not repeat myself again, Miko,” Sesshoumaru stated, and he turned on his heel to depart from her room. “I will check up on you soon.”

“Wait! Sesshoumaru!” Kagome intended to chase after him, but his choice of leaving through the window made that difficult. She frowned and slumped forward onto her knees with a sigh.

Well, this added to the list of concerns she didn’t want to have.

What happened to coming here and moving away from that stuff?

* * *

 

Though it did not show on his face, Sesshoumaru was beyond angry. Whoever was trying to take the matters of Kagome into their own hands was out of line. They had no right or place to intervene with her.

He came to a halt upon landing on a high-up branch in a tree a few yards away from the school's campus. She could track him down with ease, but he knew she would not. With Rin there, she would remain for the entire night. He let out a sigh and leaned his head back against the tree's trunk.

He was not pleased with her being at a school for humans and vampires, either, but that took a backseat in his mind for the time being. He closed his eyes as he attempted to sort through his cluttered thoughts. She would continue to express the desire to know what he did, but he was reluctant to speak of it at the time being. It was still too soon for her. The final battle had only been mere months ago for her.

To act now would be cataclysmic to both her and the jewel. He did not like having her linger around humans, but, for now, he had no other choice.

_ The scent of blood was fresh. As was the high-pitched cries that fully beckoned him to the snow-filled clearing. Cold droplets continued to drift down from the pale white sky above. Each step he took left a deep indent on the flat snow that had accumulated along the ground. The smell got heavier as he broke through a patch of leafless branches. He took a look around the clearing and instantly caught sight of the source of the sound. The child sitting on her knees in the snow did not budge as he got closer to her, and he noted how there was a trail that had been trudged through the snow behind her. Blood lined the small trail, but none of it belonged to the child. _

_ Sesshoumaru closed the distance between him and the child, holding her up so he could look at her face. Bright blue eyes bore into his gold ones and her wails silenced into quiet sniffles. Short, silver hair had splotches of crimson staining it in a few places, and a frown curved his straight-lined lips downward. _

_ The air around her caught his attention. The scent of a species long since dying out stuck in his senses, and he surveyed the area bit closer. No other path became clear to him, and he slowly made his way down the path she seemed to have taken here.  _

_ He did not have to go far to find what he searched for. _

_ Lying within the snow, face down and no longer moving, was a male with the same silver hair as the child he toted with him. Another figure was also present, dead and in a similar position, as well. One remained alive, although just barely.  _

_ A woman rested against a dead tree with a wound through her chest. Blue, hooded eyes landed on him, her attention going straight to the child he carried as she attempted to get back up, only to end up falling back down due to the expense of her injuries. _

_ “K-Kagome…!” a fleeting scene of vitality showed across her face, and Sesshoumaru closed the distance between him and the gravely injured female. The blood trailing down her chin dripped into the snow as she lifted a hand towards the child. The girl in his arms reciprocated the action with one of her own. Their fingers touched, each one trembling due to different causes, as tears built up in the mother’s eyes. _

_ “Ma...ma.”  _

_ The animalistic ears atop the woman’s head twitched at hearing the child’s voice. The smile upon her face quivered as her tears broke free, the scent of salt mixing with the blood that permeated the air. Her hand, still shaking, moved upwards as she gently rubbed her child’s cheek. _

_ When she looked at him there was an unspoken plea shining in her quickly dulling eyes. He understood well enough what she asked of him, and he closed his eyes with a slow nod to give his response.  _

_ “... thank you…” she appeared to be grateful for his acceptance. The scent of death soon settled over her, and he stood back up at his full height with the child held against his chest. _

_ ….. _

_ Not long after agreeing to keep her safe, as per the dying wish of the demoness, he began to notice something strange about the child. A large amount of holy energy hovered around her, and, while it did nothing to cause her harm, it was an alarming thing. It did not take him long to discover that it was coming  _ from _ her. _

_ A demon child emitting holy energy was unheard of, even more so when she was not being bothered by it. _

_ The presence of the jewel underneath her skin was detected by him, and it was confirmed to be the cause of it. _

_ Was such a thing truly possible…? _

_ Sesshoumaru held the child up so he could stare into her eyes. _

_ The jewel that had vanished with the death of the Priestess Kikyo was now present within the child of a near-extinct breed of demon. The power coming from her was an amazing thing, yet, he knew it was not thing good considering how young she was. _

_ A council was called by the remaining demon rulers, and he brought her along as the central discussion topic, where her fate was then decided.  _

_ Given the rareness of her breed, they could not just demand her to be slain, but they also could not remove the jewel from her, either. It was decided after days of discussion. _

_ Her demon nature was to be repressed in order to keep it from eventually clashing against the presence of the jewel. One day it would be allowed to be resurfaced, but not until her spiritual energy could be controlled. Until that day, she would be under the guise of a human- body and all. _

_ Her demon blood was subdued and a location was picked out for her to be placed. Her silver hair turned black, but her blue eyes remained the same. When it was time, Sesshoumaru was the one to take her to where she was to be dropped off. _

_ Before he had left her there, however, he made sure the metal bracelet was clipped securely around her wrist. He had engraved her name into the metal with his own claws. She was asleep, and she would remain that way for a good while longer as her demon side was locked away within her. _

_ He placed her to the ground, and, as he left, he could detect no energy signature of a demon. _

_ Just as it was decided. _

Even with the jewel no longer  _ inside _ her body, it was still a part of her, and it was still much too soon to reverse what had been done. Once it was, then he would be the one to do so- not some  _ fool _ trying to play at controlling her.


	5. Chapter 4

Sleep did not come for her that night. Instead, she busied herself with completing homework due at the end of the week. By the time her alarm went off, she had finished all of her assignments and her body was begging for a proper sleep. She heard as Rin sat up in bed, and she turned in her chair to offer her a small smile.

“Good morning,” she greeted the small girl. Rin rubbed the sleep from her eyes before slowly clambering out of the bed she had slept in. 

“Onee-chan looks tired,” Rin stated as she made her way over to where Kagome still sat at her desk. Kagome’s smile returned to her face as she patted Rin’s head to smooth down her messy hair.

“I’ll be fine,” Kagome assured her. She stood up then, stretching into the air, and a mewl came from her as she suddenly moved once again. “I have to go in an hour, so let me get ready, and I will walk you to the Headmaster’s office.” She saw as Rin nodded, and she gave the girl a packet of cookies and a bottle of water before leaving her room so she could get on with her morning routine.

As she went along with it, she couldn’t get her thoughts clear, and she continued to dwell on the events of the prior night. Sesshoumaru’s actions still caused her to feel worried- for him and everyone else. The fact that he seemed to know more than she did about something directly involving her only made that feeling grow stronger.

A pink glow rose to surround her fingertips as she buttoned her uniform blazer, and she had to quickly fight back the presence of her energy before it became noticeable by the other girls around her. A second later she looked at her fingertips with a small frown carved into her features.

Was that the reason why he refused to tell her…? Because it risked causing her energy to flare up should she become too emotional? While it was true that it sometimes still happened, it wasn’t like she couldn’t control it enough to keep it down! She had improved a lot under the teaching of Kaede and Miroku. At least, she thought so.

Kagome sighed softly and fixed her hair as she made her way back to her room to get Rin.

The fact that she had been unable to read the last letter she had received still bothered her, just as much as Sesshoumaru’s destroying of it. If it concerned her, then she had the right to know about it. What if it put her mother or brother in harm's way?

She listened only half-way to Rin as she talked while they made their way to Kaien’s office. Upon their arrival, he let Rin inside and willed the child to make herself comfortable as he pulled Kagome aside with a familiar looking item in his hand.

“Another one arrived for you, Kagome-chan,” Kaien said as he held out the gray box. This time, the ribbon around it was the color of ice. She remembered Sesshoumaru’s demand of not to pay attention to the letters received, and a small frown reappeared on her face. Kaien noticed, and he lifted a hand to rub her bangs back out of her face. “Oh, dear, are you alright?”

Kagome stiffened at the contact before forcing a nod. “I’m fine, Uncle,” she said, “I just… I was really surprised by Sesshoumaru-sama’s visit yesterday. I couldn’t sleep much.” She took the box from him and offered him a forced smile. “I should go help Yuki-chan and Zero-kun. I still feel bad about ditching them last night.” Before she left she nodded towards Rin, who stood near the window and was watching something visible from where she was, with a smile and said, “she likes weaving flowers together and drawing. She’s energetic, too, but give her either one to fill her time with and she’ll be busy for a few hours.”

Kagome made her way to where the herd of students stood waiting for the Night Class to finally head back to their dorms, and she spotted Yuki. Her steps were slow, the exhaustion she felt pairing poorly with the worries she felt. 

Sesshoumaru was still close by, and she was wondering if he had made his way back onto the campus grounds. If he had, then it was to go see Rin or check up on her. Her mood plummeted at the idea of having to see him again so soon, considering how fast he had left without any explanation last night. She knew she shouldn't expect him to tell her things if she asked him, but the fact that this seemed connected to her made her feel as though he should speak up if he knew something.

At the very least… It would keep her from worrying so much.

Her glum mood was detected by Yuki, who stood several feet away from her and continued to cast her worried glances.

She was more preoccupied with the box she held than the students around her. The card on the box revealed it was the third to be sent, and she presumed that there was another rose and letter within it. She undid the ribbon without thinking and lifted the cover from the box, only, to her surprise, to find a rose and a small, glass bottle with it. Inside it was a few pink items that reminded her of the shards of the Shikon no Tama. The bottle was about the size of an eraser used for class.

“What the hell…?” 

She was astonished, to say the least. A part of her was tempted to reach for it, but she halted herself upon spotting the sharp thorns decorating the rose.

It took her taking a closer look to realize that there was a small, folded up piece of paper within the bottle. Her curiosity was eating away at her, and she yanked the flower out of the box by its petals before taking the bottle and haphazardly returning the rose to where it had been.

The box and rose would be cast to the side for now, but… she would read the message in the bottle before Sesshoumaru was able to destroy it.

Most of the Night Class students were gone now, and she could hear as Yuki approached her. Kaname remained as well, and she could feel his stare on her back. Kagome shook her head and waved to Yuki, running off before the girl could catch her and dropping the box without any care for it as she did so.

“Sorry, but there is something I have to do,” Kagome called out to her before disappearing into the trees of the forest.

The box, while unnoticed by Yuki, was then picked up by the vampire that remained. Kaname looked it over before he turned and left, deciding to use it as a reason to hunt her down later.

* * *

 

She found a place far enough out of the way that no ordinary student would be able to locate her. She sank down against the base of a tree and stretched her legs out with a quiet sigh, turning the glass bottle over in her hand. The small items within it tumbled around with each turn she gave it. She took a deep breath before grasping at the cork sealing the top off.

It took a little effort to unseal the bottle, but it was a battle that was won by her determination. The cork dropped to the grass at her side, and she turned the bottle upside down to let the items within it spill out into her hand.

The shards within it felt to be some sort of crystal, the feel of them being uncannily similar to how the jewel shards had felt. Although, they lacked the energy the Shikon Jewel had.

She discarded them to the side and turned her attention to the small piece of paper that had been with them. It was a lot smaller than any other notes she had received, due to where it had been located, and the words written on it were minimal.

_ “It was you.” _

The three words scribbled down in blue ink caused confusion to build up in her.

Was this supposed to be a dig at how she had shattered the jewel by accident? If so, that was just rubbing salt into a wound that should have been healed up by now. She pouted and crumpled the paper up, dropping it back into the bottle along with the pink slivers of crystal.

She looked at the bottle for a few more seconds before she fell to lay on her back. Upon hitting the grass she chucked the bottle far away from her with mild annoyance coursing through her veins.

_ ‘Thump!’ _

“Oi!”

Kagome sat up, propping herself up on her hands when she heard the surprised cry that came from the other side of the trees. She didn’t have time to sweep the area to figure out the aura before a familiar figure entered the clearing to glare at her.

“Why are you throwing things?” Zero scowled at her as he held up the bottle she had tossed away from her just mere seconds ago. A pink flush dyed her cheeks and she averted her gaze in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you,” she said before sitting back up completely. She sat back up a second later. “Wait, you should be in class!”

“You’re one to talk,” Zero grumbled back at her, closing the distance and dropping the bottle back into her lap. A second later he dropped down and folded his arms underneath his head. “Why aren’t you in class?”

“...” Kagome focused her attention on the bottle Zero had placed back in her reach. “Can’t a girl take a break for one day?” she finally said something, crossing her arms over her chest as she averted her gaze entirely. She picked the bottle up again and threw it a second time. This time it did not come back to her.

There was a silence between them, and Kagome found herself subtly glancing back at Zero. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep. There was something she wanted to ask him, but she was hesitant to do so. After a few seconds of going back and forth about it in her mind, Kagome pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on her folded arms.

“Zero-kun,” Kagome looked towards him and noticed how he glanced towards her upon hearing his name. “You met Sesshoumaru-sama yesterday, didn’t you?” He had been the one to hunt her down upon the demon’s arrival. “Do you mind telling me what he was like while demanding to see me?”

“What?”

“Was he agitated or calm?” Kagome tightened her grip on her legs, and the frown on her face deepened. “Something is bothering him, but he won’t tell me what it is.”

“He was angrier over realizing there were vampires here,” Zero stated as he turned his glare up to the sky. “Saying that he’d kill them if they came after you.”

“Ah…” Kagome nodded and she began to gnaw on her lower lip. “I see. He doesn’t like them very much… I thought he hated humans, but his hate for vampires is bigger…” she muttered to herself. “Still, it is unlike him to be so vocally worried like that. I'm really worried about him,” she admitted to Zero, “but if I say anything he’ll just brush it off.”

She sighed and closed her eyes.

She felt like her insides were squirming.

* * *

 

Things later that evening progressed as usual when it came time for the vampire students to head to class. She still had not slept, but she had skipped the day as she ended up laying around with Zero for several hours. Sesshoumaru was definitely back on the school grounds, but he had yet to come for her so she was calmer than before.

She heard Hanabusa greet her, and she rose a hand so she could offer him a wave in response. She recalled how their encounter had gone the previous night, and she was glad to see him being his usual self- even if it made things harder for her to control the girls.

“Something seems to be bothering you.”

She heard Kaname’s voice, and she slowly turned so she was looking up at him. While his words were accurate, she was reluctant to let him know that. She folded her arms over her chest and offered him a forced smile. “It’s really not that,” she lied. “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night.” 

A gentle caress rubbed against her cheek and she stiffened up. She remembered Sesshoumaru’s words, and she debated how to put an end to the contact he had established with her. “Kaname-kun..”

There was a strange feeling within her chest, and she stared down at her feet when she placed it as being content. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh as she leaned into his touch subconsciously. That feeling soon faded upon feeling the approaching aura of Sesshoumaru, and she snapped her eyes back open just in time to see a flash of long, silver hair as she was shoved backward. The hand on her face was no longer there, and she found herself staring at Sesshoumaru’s back.

Kagome moved out from behind him before she froze up, turning worried eyes up to Sesshoumaru’s face. Enamored voices of the Day Class girls fell on deaf ears as she saw Sesshoumaru’s grip on Kaname’s wrist tighten even more.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Kagome hissed at her demon companion. Was the concept of secrecy unknown to him now? Did she have to remind him of the humans filling the area?! “Let him go, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

“You dare to think you have any right to touch her?” Sesshoumaru’s voice was heavy with his anger. His eyes bore into the dark ones of Kaname, and he placed the scent that had been on Kagome the other night to be this male. He was unfazed by the stares of the remaining Night Class students, and a cold smirk lined his lips. “You’ll meet your death far sooner than anticipated should you keep your efforts up.”

“Sesshoumaru,  _ please _ , release him!” Kagome curled a hand around Sesshoumaru’s wrist, but her attempts went on to be ignored by him. A glare appeared on her face as she placed a hand on Kaname’s chest to push him back some as she stepped in between them. The outline of a small girl running over to them caught her eye, and she jabbed a finger into the demon’s chest. “Rin is coming,” Kagome stated in a cold voice. “She will be scared if she witnesses you behaving like this, Sesshoumaru-sama.”

The mention of Rin was what caused him to drop Kaname’s wrist from his hand. He turned, but not before giving a final warning growl to Kaname. A second later, a pair of small arms wrapped around his leg, and he looked down to spot Rin staring up at him.

“Sesshoumaru-sama!”

He patted her head, the action causing the smile on her face to grow larger. Before he left with Rin in tow, he gave Kagome one last look. She stiffened up and bit down on the temptation to take a step away from him.

“Your friend is quite scary,” Kaname commented, and Kagome looked down as she resisted the urge to slide down onto her knees.

“You’re telling me…” she responded. She looked back up at Kaname with a worried frown on her face. “I’m sorry.”

“There is no need for you to apologize, Kagome,” he told her before, once again, caressing her cheek. The words stated by Sesshoumaru seemed to not bother him at all. “Take care, won’t you?”

“O-Oh… yes,” she nodded and offered him a genuine smile. “You as well.”

* * *

It was quiet that night. Sesshoumaru had gone to a place unknown to her, leaving her unable to feel his aura anymore. He hadn’t told her where he was going, but she wasn’t exactly bothered by that. He seemed to be avoiding coming around her, and she thought that to be a good thing. If he did, then she’d probably just end up yelling at him for his actions earlier.

Even though she hadn’t caused it, she still felt bad. She didn’t know what was bothering him, but she wanted to know. Something  _ was _ bothering him, and she wanted to be able to help him. 

She leaned against a tree and focused on her senses for a moment. Everything seemed fine around her, but, as she stood there, she was able to detect someone coming towards her. She recognized who it was, and she bit at her lower lip before even realizing it.

“Hey, Kaname-kun,” she called out in quiet greeting. She knew that no matter how quiet she spoke, he would still be able to hear her.  He came closer to her, and she listened carefully to the sound of his light footsteps along the soft grass.

She was curious as to why he was here, but she decided not to ask. She still felt bad about the events of earlier, and, even though he had told her not to apologize, she still felt as though she was obligated to. There was a lighter side to it, however, and that was Sesshoumaru’s choice of absence. At least things would go better this time around.

Kaname came to a halt next to her, and a small smile lined his lips when she did not show any signs of freezing up around him. When he lifted a hand to rub the side of her face, the smile on his face widened at feeling her subtly nuzzle against it.

Even if she was unaware of it, she was scent marking him.

“Kaname-kun.”

He tilted his head towards her upon hearing her voice. He waited for her to continue speaking, but, when that did not happen, he trailed his hand down so he could lift her head up gently by her chin. The presence of clear liquid within her eyes made him frown, and he was tempted to pull her so she was chained against his chest in a hug.

“I… I still feel bad about earlier,” she admitted to him. “The truth is, I’ve never seen Sesshoumaru act like that. I guess I can’t forget about it because of how he was.” She lifted a hand so she could place it on top of Kaname’s, and the frown on her face deepened. “Things just seem to be really strange, I guess.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” he told her, lifting his other hand so he could brush back a lock of her hair.

“I really don’t understand why you choose to be so nice to me,” she stated with a small sigh lining her words. “Yuki-chan says that I met you a couple of times before coming here, but I can’t remember them very well. Though, I know that the first time was the day I met Uncle.” She closed her eyes as she tilted her head downwards. “I can’t help but think how weird that is, but I can’t think of anything that makes sense as to why I hadn’t met him before. Then again, so many of my memories from then are pretty hazy to me.”

She didn’t understand why she was telling him this. She still felt a bit wary of him, but it continued to slowly fade away the longer she spent with him. Her concerns had turned away from the vampires on campus and had swapped completely to Sesshoumaru and the things she continued to receive.

She let out a sigh and shook her head. “I’m rambling, so I’m sorry for that. I shouldn’t waste your time like this.”

“It isn’t possible for you to waste my time,” he responded. “I searched you out for a reason.” He saw how she suddenly placed her attention on him a few seconds after he had said those words. A look of curiosity spread across her face, and he removed the box she had dropped from his pocket. He saw the look of recognition flash across her face, but she did not reach to take it. “You dropped this earlier, didn’t you?”

She looked away but nodded. “I don’t want it,” she stated with a coldness that sounded foreign to even her. “Someone keeps sending them to me, but they keep the thorns on the roses. It’s a hazard considering that there are vampires as students here, too.”

“I see,” Kaname said with a nod of his head. “Aido mentioned something about you getting stuck by a rose thorn before.”

“I appreciate your effort to bring it back, though,” she told him, looking up with a smile on her face. “You didn't have to, but you did so anyway. So.. thank you.”

He returned her smile with a small one of his own before setting a hand to the top of her head. “You are very sweet.”

She felt her cheeks flush with warmth as she looked down at her feet, suddenly unable to meet his stare any longer.

She did not comprehend why he seemed to let his touch linger on her so often, but it wasn’t a terrible feeling.

* * *

 

St. Xocolatl’s Day was fastly approaching, and it wasn’t just the ladies of Cross Academy that were busy preparing for it. 

Three different roses were tied together. One remained solid white. Another was completely dyed black. The third was a mix of both colors, and it was placed between the other two.

An ice blue concoction remained in a crystal vial, and he slowly dragged his finger down the side of it.

It wouldn't be long now. Words could not express what he had gone through just to obtain the ingredients needed to make it, but it was all worth it. He unclipped the lid to the vial and dipped a paintbrush into the odorless liquid within it. He brushed it along the thorn laced stems, taking extra care to coat every thorn on each rose, even trailing the brush along a few different areas of the petals, as well. Once done, he set the brush to the side and closed the vial to preserve the remainder of the precious liquid.

Number four, five, and six would be sent together on a special day. He tied a properly numbered card to each rose before placing them inside a slightly larger box than usual. They were the only thing to get set in the box, the concoction brushed along the flowers being the other half to the gift he would send. Though blank, there was a folded piece of paper underneath them.

The paper was unimportant, but it was placed there in case bait was needed.

He was already starting to get excited over how she would react.

_ The very important first step. _

“I hope you are as ready as I am, my dear.”

 


	6. Chapter 5

She had never been one to give in and regularly give away chocolates on St. Xocolatl’s Day, but this year she decided to do her usual way a little bit different. Initially, she had intended for it to be a surprise, but it got ruined when a familiar figure waltzed into the Headmaster’s kitchen while she stood making chocolates in various shapes.

Her choice of clothing seemed to throw the silver-haired male through a loop, and she quickly diverted her gaze as she placed her body in front of her hard work.

“Don‘t look!” she hissed at Zero. “You’ll ruin the surprise.” Before she said another word, Kagome silenced herself and looked back at Zero. “Wait, on second thought…” she reached behind her and took one of the finished chocolates from where it sat on the countertop before shoving it in his direction. “Be my taste tester!”

“Get someone else to do it,” he responded as he went past her. She glared at the back of his head.

“Please! You don’t have to eat the whole thing- just a little bite,” she tried again, approaching him with the chocolate placed on her outstretched palm. “I’ve never made chocolates before, and I need to know if they’re okay before I make more with the same recipe.”

He did not budge, and Kagome let out a sigh as she began to give up.

“You’ve already ruined the surprise for yourself, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt if you tried one… I don’t want to ruin it for Yuki or Uncle,” she looked down at her feet and lowered her hand. Her fingers curled around the sweet in her hand to keep it from hitting the ground as she prepared to head back to her previous activity. She didn’t get to take a single step before a hand curled around her wrist, and the chocolate was plucked from her hand.

She stood still, a bit startled, as he ate it.  She soon got over it, and she turned her attention up to his face with a pleased smile shining on her face. “So? How is it?” Kagome asked him, clasping her hands together over her chest as she awaited any sort of response from him.

“Not bad,” he responded, and she decided she would take that as a good enough answer as anything else. She turned around then and made her way back to her workstation with a proud feeling in her chest.

* * *

Handling the exchange between Day Class and Night Class students was a lot more difficult than it had been on the other days. Everyone wanted to give their gift first, but, considering the number of people present, that was physically impossible.

Admittedly, she was still bummed out over Sesshoumaru. He had yet to come back, leaving her to have last seen him and Rin days ago. She didn’t know where he had gone off to, and she found herself hoping that he would return soon in case things really were bad.

She had received another box this morning as she was giving her chocolates to Yuki, Zero, and Kaien, but she had yet to open it and peek at what was inside. She was too preoccupied with the task at hand, as well as having one more gift to give.

She had no idea what Kaname liked, so she had stuck to the same style of chocolate she had made for the others. A part of her was compelled to give him  _ something _ as a show of her thanks for his unrelenting kindness to her- even following the way Sesshoumaru had behaved. She could spot the dark-haired vampire through the crowd of students, and she began to wonder if now was a good time to give it to him.

She did not want her thanks to get mixed up as her having a fancy for him, and she began to consider the option of just giving it to him in a one-on-one atmosphere. But then that prompted the question of when that would be.

Kagome shook her head and pushed a hand into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out the box she had made for him. She looked it over for a second or two before glancing back at him. Most of the excitement had been wrapped up as the girls of Day Class got to give away their gifts, and things were turning pretty tame as the area started to clear out. Some remained, but they stuck to such a tight group that they did not cause any problems. Well, nothing that really needed to be put to an immediate halt.

Deciding to just get it over with, Kagome took a deep breath and closed the gap between Kaname and herself. He had been aware of her approaching form, and he turned to face her once she had gotten close enough. Though there was a faint hint of pink on her cheeks, she held the box out to him and offered him a smile.

“I wanted to say thank you,” she told him, “for being nice to me, even after Sesshoumaru’s actions towards you.” 

She wondered if she was doing this right. When he took the offered box from her outstretched hand, the uncertainty she felt slowly evaporated away but an extra source of nervousness flooded her veins. She let out an inaudible sigh as she resisted the urge to shake her head, as though the action would serve to clear her mind free of every thought coursing its way through it. Though brief, the thought of the gift she had gotten this morning came back to focus in her head, and she was hesitant of even opening it.

The bad feeling she had about it awoken the caution she had learned due to her past trips.

She realized what she was doing, and she began to berate herself inside her own mind for giving into the worry she felt. Doing that wouldn’t help anyone, and it definitely wouldn’t help her. She was unable to blindly trust Sesshoumaru’s words, and she hoped that he would know that. Not telling her was only raising her curiosity and desire to know what the sender’s intentions were, and what it was they wished to accomplish.

At the thought of Sesshoumaru, she once again began to wonder where he had gone off to. He was never one to announce his parting, but after he had decided to remain close by, his sudden departure had thrown her through a loop. If what bothered him was connected to her then shouldn’t he tell her? That way she could help him… right?

A hand getting pressed to the side of her face drew her out of her thoughts, and she almost jumped out of surprise. She had been thinking so deeply on her own concerns that she had forgotten about even standing across from the dark-haired vampire! A deeper flush of pink dusted across her cheeks, and she took a step back to break the contact he had established with her. His hand followed her for a moment before he let it drop back down at his side.

“I’m so sorry!” she squeaked out an embarrassed apology. “I just zoned out by accident…” she shook her head and offered him a tiny smile. “I apologize if I kept you too long.”

“There is nothing for you to worry about,” he responded, reaching out once again so he could brush back a messy part of her hair. She observed him in quiet curiosity. This time she remained still and allowed him the freedom to adjust her hair. He met her stare as he trailed the tips of his fingers down the side of her face, only freezing his movement once a few grazed the column of her neck. “Your friend has yet to come back, hasn’t he?”

She blinked at the question, downcasting her gaze a second afterward. “... yes.” 

The concern she spoke with was not lost on him, and a small frown tilted his lips downwards.

“He shouldn’t make you worry like this,” Kaname told her, taking a step closer to her as he dipped down so she would be the only one to hear his next words. “Should you need someone to talk to, I hope you would find your way to me… instead of waiting around for someone who won’t cooperate with you. It is not ethical- how he seems to wish to control you.”

His words startled her and she quickly shot down the idea of them. “You’ve got it all wrong…! Sesshoumaru-sama is protective of me, but even he knows there is no possible way for him to control me,” she said with a quiet laugh. “He isn’t the type to freely speak his concerns, even if something is weighing on his shoulders. He’s the strong, stoic type.”

“Even so,” Kaname spoke once she had fallen silent, “my offer is, and will remain, standing. Do come find me should you need someone to listen to you.”

“I don’t think… ah... I…” she shook her head and averted her gaze to the side. “That is a nice offer, but I would only end up wasting your time. I can talk a lot, and my ramblings probably shouldn’t be listened to.”

He offered her a smile and affectionately brushed her cheek with his palm. “Don’t concern yourself with that.” Those words were the last he said before he allowed his hand to lower from where it touched her, and he took a step back as he began to go on his way back to the Night Class dorms. “Take care, won’t you?”

She nodded, unable to string together any words to give him a proper goodbye. Instead, she lifted a hand and waved towards him as he turned and followed where the rest of the vampire students had gone.

Once again she was left with the curiosity over why Kaname was so nice to her. Before coming here, the contact she had with him could not be recalled in clarity by her. Had… had something happened during her younger days to make him so intrigued by her. Something that made him act so fondly towards her?

* * *

 

It was much later when she finally got around to checking the box she had received that morning, not long after she had finished making her rounds in search of sneaking students. She dug it out of her bag and tossed it onto the top of her desk as she went to change out of her school uniform. Once done, she sat down at her desk and carefully undid the ribbon on the box. 

The three roses within it caused her to tilt her head to the side. 

Had they upped the number for today’s date?

She shook her head and her eyes zeroed in on the paper underneath the flowers. A small scowl lined her lips at the sight of it, and she cautiously reached for the flowers so she could move them out of the way. She gripped the petals of the roses and pulled them from the box, setting them onto the top of her desk so she could focus on the paper still remaining inside the box.

Upon removing it, she wasted no time in opening it, only to be struck dumbfounded when a blank inside greeted her.

“What in the…?”

She turned it every which way she could in hopes it might show something on it, and she began to wonder the purpose of this one. Did it have one at all? Or did they just forget to write anything on the paper in the first place?

A frown lined her lips as she let the paper drop to the surface of her desk, right next to the mini bouquet of roses. 

She didn’t understand the meaning of the blank paper. Kagome thought back on her time spent in the past, but nothing being able to connect with it came to mind.

Talk about frustrating…

She let out a tired sigh as she placed her hands against her cheeks. She let her eyes slide closed as she dipped her weight forward and onto her desk. It had been a long day, and she had spent a large deal of it worrying.

Worrying over these things she kept receiving.

Worrying over Sesshoumaru.

If it wasn’t one, it was the other.

Kagome folded her arms on the desk and placed her head on top of them. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep like that, despite the uncomfortable position it had.

* * *

 

_ A pair of arms going around her shoulders caused the raven-haired girl to come to a halt. Her steps stuttered a bit as she heard the soft laughter come from the woman at her side. _

_ “Kago-chan!” _

_ Wide, blue eyes blinked in confusion, only for her face to light up as the brunette clinging to her let her grip fall slack enough for her to see her face clearly. _

_ “It’s so sweet how Yuki-chan seems to like Kagome-chan!” Kun-Loon cooed over the two female children, affectionately patting both of them on the tops of their heads. “It’s a relief, really. Kagome-chan shows no interest in other children, so seeing her interact so well with Yuki-chan is good.” Kun-Loon stood up at her full height and let out a sigh as she rubbed a hand over her swelling stomach. Kagome followed her movements with a blank stare, only to turn away a moment later at hearing someone else enter the room. As Kagome stepped away from the woman, taking tiny steps towards the new figure there, Kun-Loon turned her attention towards Kaien as they both sat down. _

_ “How are you doing?” he asked her, and she froze for a moment before glancing at the hardwood floor. _

_ “I’m doing as good as I can right now,” she told him before sighing. “Kagome-chan… she still waits by the door for him, though.” _

_ “Have you explained to her why he won’t come back?” Kaien asked her in a quiet voice, despite the fact that the small child was now focused intently on Kaname. _

_ She nodded. “I did, but I don’t think she fully understood.” _

_ “Well, she is still young. I imagine comprehending the death of a parental figure in her mind would be different than if she were older. Children are strange, after all.” _

_ “Yes… but this entire thing got me thinking on the subject of her real parents,” Kun-Loon stated, letting her eyes settle on the small girl, where she stood on the other side of the room with her hand secured tightly around Kaname’s. “She makes no comment of them, so perhaps she doesn’t really recall them. I wonder what happened to them.” _

_ “I believe it is easy to assume their fates. It is likely they met their end prior to Kagome-chan coming into your care.” _

_ A sad smile lined Kun-Loon’s face as those words were said. “I wish to care for her so she never has to lose another guardian… she is a sweet child.” _

_ … _

_ … _

_ … _

_ Kaname stared down at the small girl, a ghost of a smile lifting his lips as he observed her. He knelt down in front of her, only to feel as she wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled her cheek against his own. Her friendly nature towards him enthralled him. He wasn’t sure what it was that made her so fond of him, but he did not mind her actions. _

_ He curled his arms around her and picked her up so he could place her on his hip. _

_ She was very light, and he adjusted her as he turned so they both were staring out the window. _

_ Even after a year since their first interaction, she seemed to remember him well. He felt her squirm in his arms, and he spared her a curious glance. When she placed a palm against the slightly frosted over window he noted the overjoyed smile on her face. _

_ “Snow, snow, snow~ it’s snowing~!” _

_ “Do you like the snow?” _

_ His question caused silence to fall over her as she focused her attention on his face. The silence remained for a few seconds before she managed a giggle as she nodded her head. “Uh-huh! Kagome used to play in snow every day!” _

_ Everyday? He didn’t even think that to be possible. Kaname offered a smile. “Do you mean every day in the winter?” He was startled at spotting her shake her head. _

_ “Kagome remembers snow all the time! White, white, pretty droplets of white~! White, blue~ White, gold~ Mama and Papa always with Kagome in pretty little flurries. Papa was good at making flurries!” _

_ Kaname looked at her in confusion, and Kagome quickly waved over to Kun-Loon. _

_ “Not Okaa-san, but Mama!” She turned back to the window with a wide smile on her face. “Kagome doesn’t remember them much, but they used to play with her.” _

_ The childlike ramblings of her came out in one long string of words, and he wondered how long she could talk like that without breathing. _

_ “Can we go play?” _

_ “Huh?” _

_ “Go play in the snow~” she sang as she began to claw at the air with her small hands, the action demanding that she gets put back down on her feet. “Kagome wants to go play!” _

_ Kaname set her down. The second her feet hit the ground, she scampered away and over to Kun-Loon to seek permission from her. Though slightly startled by her sudden enthusiasm, Kun-Loon agreed. The next second Kagome pranced back over to him and took hold of his hand as she gave it a gentle tug. _

_ “Come play, please!” _

_ He was unable to deny her request, and not long after those words, he found himself out in the snow with both Kagome and Yuki. He kept a cautious eye on them due to the dark of nighttime. Yuki kept close to Kagome as the small girl bounded around with an excitement never before displayed by her. _

_ They chased one another through the snowfall, leaving trails of footprints everywhere they went. An hour had nearly passed before the brunette began to get too bothered by the cold. When she parted from Kagome’s side, the ravenette showed no sign of following. _

**_“Kagome…”_ **

_ White mush fell from her hands as she stood up, her interest in the snow she had been shaping into something falling away upon hearing someone call her name. She blinked her blue eyes and turned to the sound. Her mouth parted a fraction as she held a mittened hand up to it. The noise had captured her attention, and she took a step towards it.  _

**_“Kagome…”_ **

_ She took another step, and then many more upon hearing it again. A figure blurred by still-falling white caught her attention, and she craned her head to the side as she attempted to see who it was. _

_ A cold breeze swirled up around her, and her movements froze out of the blue. Yuki had found her way back over to Kaname once the chill in the air began to bite at her cheeks and nose. As she was guided back inside so she could warm back up, Kagome remained uninterested in doing the same. _

_ Kaname returned to where he had been just in time to watch as Kagome began to go astray from where she had been standing. When she lifted a hand to wave at something in the distance, a frown appeared on his face and he made his way over to where she had been heading. _

_ “Kagome?” _

_ She was startled a bit by hearing his voice call her name, and she looked up at him before motioning with her hand in the direction she had been looking in. _

_ “There was someone down that way,” she told him, a soft whine appearing in her words. _

_ “You shouldn’t head off on your own like that…” his scolding was light, and it caused a pout to appear on her face. He let his gaze sweep over the area, only to spot no one in the distance as she had observed.  _

_ “They knew my name,” she gave another whine. “They were calling Kagome.” _

_ The frown on his face deepened, and a feeling he couldn’t quite place brewed up inside his chest. “Do not go off on your own. It isn’t safe.” A downcast expression appeared on her face at his tone, and he set a gentle hand on the top of her head to give her a pet. _

_ “... okay.” _

_ “Come along,” Kaname said as he took her by her hand. “You should head in now.” _

_ She complied, and Kagome skipped alongside him as he led her back inside. _

* * *

 

The ringing of her alarm woke her up, as usual, the following morning, and she forced herself up into an upright sitting position as she took a slow glance around her.

She lifted a hand so she could stifle the yawn that had formed in the back of her throat, and eyes fell to land on the white sheet of paper in front of her. At the recollection of it from last night, she shook her head and shot a hand out towards it so she could pick it up and toss it into the trash.

The roses underneath the paper innocently peeked out, but, through the haze of her sleepiness, she had forgotten about leaving them there. The weight of her hand on the paper caused it to get pierced by the thorns, and a quick jab to the inside of her palm caused her to give a startled yelp.

Kagome yanked her hand back with agitation present on her face. She glanced at the three small punctures on her palm and sighed. Her next movements were fueled by caution, and she carefully moved the paper  _ and _ roses into the trash bin. She got up out of her chair and glanced back down at her palm to check more closely at the wounds she had gotten. They had already begun to heal up, and she ran her tongue over them out of reflex to wipe the blood away. It took some of the sting away, and she was able to ignore them as she went about getting ready for the day.

She managed to leave her room a little later than usual, and she wasted no time in heading to meet up with Yuki and Zero. The walk was surprisingly quiet, but a single peek outside showed her where all the noise had gone.

Her eyes landed on Yuki, and she lifted a hand as she gave a call towards the girl. She managed to take a few more steps before she forced herself to a halt upon feeling a stinging burn come from her palm. Kagome glanced down at it, and the frown she wore deepened upon spotting nothing on the healed up area.

That was certainly a new thing…

She shook her head and tightened that hand into a fist, squeezing until the pain died down a little.

“Kagome-chan!”

She blinked and turned her attention towards Yuki, offering her a nod of hello as they closed the distance between one another. 

“Are you okay?” Yuki asked her. “You usually get here a lot earlier.”

“I’m fine,” she gave a smile of assurance to the brunette. “I fell asleep at my desk, so I guess I just had a rougher morning.”

“Eh, really?!”

“I used to end up sleeping at my desk all the time back home,” she said then with a quiet laugh. “It might not be the most comfortable way in the world, but if you’re tired enough you can sleep anywhere.” The familiar sound of the Night Class students being let out filled the air, and Kagome reached to take Yuki by her hand. “We should go take care of this.”

“Yeah!”

…

…

…

The departing figures of the Day Class students gave Kagome enough reason to heave a sigh of relief. Another day, the same routine. She had to begin wondering if they ever got tired with obsessing over the same faces each day.

She lifted a hand to brush back her bangs, and she rubbed her eyes when she found herself feeling more tired as the seconds continued to tick by. When she opened them next, her eyes landed on Zero. At spotting his hair, she was reminded of Sesshoumaru, and she began to think of him once again.

Still, there was no sign of him coming back. There might be no reason for her to worry about him, as he was strong enough to take care of himself, but she couldn’t shake the worry she felt. No matter how strong he was, he was still a friend-like figure to her, and she would always worry about her friends- even if they had no need for sentiments like that.

Kagome closed her eyes and let out a long sigh as she finally pulled herself back into reality. When she opened them next, she remained frozen to her spot as black spots began to leak into her vision. 

She stumbled over her feet and shook her head, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the approaching abyss beckoning her. The burning that had originally just been on her palm started in the pit of her stomach, and it was strong enough to bring her to her knees. She gave a sharp hiss of pain and dug her fingertips into the material of her uniform top to squeeze at the pained area.

“Oi!”

The voice in her ear was familiar, and she reached a hand out to grab at Zero’s arm. The strength behind it did not last long before her grip suddenly went slack. She fell towards the pavement, but, before she could make contact with it, her weight was supported by the silver-haired boy.

“Kagome-chan, what’s wrong?” Yuki was at her other side, her own hands outstretched. One was placed upon her cheek, while the other rested against her upper arm.

“.. b-burning,” she managed to whimper out, but she was unable to say anything else before she was suddenly scooped up by Zero. Her trembling fingers dug into his uniform blazer as if it were a lifeline for her, and she let out a hiss weaker in sound than the one before.

“I’ll take her to the infirmary,” Zero told Yuki as he secured her in his arms better. “You go get Headmaster.” 

Yuki nodded at his instruction, and the two went off in separate ways as fast as their feet could carry them.


	7. Chapter 6

Even he could admit that perhaps going to this length could count as desperate, but he would never use that word to describe his actions. Rin could be heard chattering about the flowers she had seen in the garden on their way back, but he did not pay her much attention. The lack of attention did nothing to pause her excited words, and a figure soon stepping out across from them caused them both to come to a halt.

“Hello~!”

Sesshoumaru bit back the sigh he felt rising up in the back of his throat at hearing the chipper voice call out to him, and he tilted his head forward in a small nod of acknowledgment. “Kit,” he responded to the auburn-haired fox standing across from him. “I assume since you were waiting for me, then there is no need to remain here?"

“Yeah,” Shippo shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms behind his back so he could curl his hands together. “I didn’t want to spend too much time waiting around. I’d rather go see Mama!”

At spotting the light brightening his eyes, Sesshoumaru was reminded of just how much the fox adored the woman he so lovingly called his mother. In prior days, he could never do much to guard and protect her due to his young age. Though still young, the fox across from him had become much stronger. Then lengths foxes would go to in order to protect those who they saw as belonging to them in any sort of way was dangerous to those standing against them. Headstrong, sly, and brazen taunting… there were many quirks to their personalities, but each one managed to provoke and assist their protective nature in the worst of ways.

Before long, the kit would successfully chase off the vampire attempting to lay claim on Kagome, or the vampire would cause Kagome to resent him for snapping at and attempting to injure Shippo.

Either way, he would get what he wanted without having to deal with unnecessary fights with the small woman. If she would not allow him to ensure that there would be no contact, then he would just find his own ways to make sure of that.

He would appeal to  _ her _ buried nature, then, and invite her son into the fray, and he would watch as the flames followed. Just because her demon side was buried far underneath the surface didn’t mean those base emotions were not there, because they were there. 

“Come along,” he stated, his voice never giving away to what he currently thought. Shippo wasted no time in bounding up behind him, and he took Rin’s attention away from him as she began to talk to him about everything that came to mind.

* * *

 

“Why don’t you two head to class,” Kaien told both Yuki and Zero not long after he had gotten to the infirmary. “She might have just gotten a fever,” he attempted to assure them that it was nothing, but even he knew his words were a lie.

Kagome didn’t get sick like other people, contrary to everything that had been made up in the past. He lowered himself into a chair close to the bed the dark-haired girl had been settled into, and he pressed his fingers to the surface of her forehead. The scorching warmth underneath the tips of his fingers was worrying, and a frown weighed on his face.

It took a few more words of assurance to get the both of them to leave, but he eventually managed it with the promise of calling for them should something change with her current state.

“Just tell your teacher she fainted before she could go to class, and let him know that she came down with a fever.”

Kaien heard the door close, and he let out a sigh as he tugged his hand away from her forehead. It was now silent in the room, aside from the occasional whimper that came from the girl in the bed. Despite the heat that radiated off of her, the room around him felt colder than when he had entered. There was an unknown source of chill floating in the air, and he spared a worried glance at the girl.

There was a pink flush noticeable against the normal paleness of her skin, and there were several droplets of sweat that had accumulated on the surface of her forehead. He stood up and went to the sink to run some water over a rag. Once back at her side, Kaien brushed her bangs out of the way and placed the rag on her forehead before sitting back down and watching her

He hoped that some rest would help her enough so she could wake up on her own. She would not stir when touched or spoken to as other people would once falling ill.

He would remain there for the time being, and hopefully, she would come to sooner opposed to later.

...

**Cold.**

**Everything around her was cold, but there was nothing she could do to bring any warmth to herself. She wrapped her arms around her chest and squeezed tight, only to allow her grip to loosen when her palms made contact with the bare skin of her arms. Kagome opened her eyes and glanced towards the ground, and she could barely make out the white mush she stood barefoot in.**

**What she stood in did not catch her entire attention. Instead, her nude body did. She did not have time to question where her clothing had disappeared to, because, as soon as she glanced down something else caught her attention.**

**She held her hands up, staring at the freezing appendages with widened eyes. Sharp claws peeking up from the tips of her fingers became her focus point. She blinked, and the next second they were covered with a dark crimson.**

**A scream clawed at the back of her throat, and she nearly fell backwards as she let her eyes roam over the snowy clearing she stood in. She wrapped her arms around herself again, and she crouched forward into a little ball.**

**Her tail curled around her hips, and she… wait**

**_Tail?_ **

**Kagome opened her eyes and leveled her attention onto the snow-white, furry appendage now curled around the swell of her hips as though it were a belt. She ran her bloodied hand over the sleek surface of it, only to rip her hand away from it when she felt the contact.**

**It… it was really attached to her…**

**She shook her head violently as if all of this was just a strange daydream. It did not accomplish what she wanted, and wisps of white hair captured her attention then.**

**The cold around her feet did not bother her, but instead, it made her feel comfortable. Kagome let out a sigh as she slumped forward into the white mush she had fallen into.**

**The flurry around her began to get worse, and she let her eyes slide closed as she settled into a sitting position in the snow that had accumulated around her.**

**Something inside her told her that she needed to wake up now, but that didn’t seem right… She didn’t want to wake up.**

**Being here in the cold was soothing. Being in the snow was comforting.**

**Staying like this… it wouldn’t hurt for her to stay like this for a little while longer.**

**Kagome buried her hands into the white mush, smearing the red off of her claws as she did so. It left dark streaks in the white, and her eyes focused on the blood against the snow.**

**The sight of red against white brought a pained flutter to her chest, and she scurried away from the marks she had left without any conscious reason she could detect. Tears welled up in her eyes as she forced herself back onto her feet. She wasn’t thinking as she turned and began to run away from the spot she had been in up until now.**

**She ran and ran and ran, only stopping when she nearly flung herself into a body of water that somehow had remained a liquid even while surrounded by freezing temperatures. Giving in to the urge, Kagome fell down to her knees and crawled forward so she could peer at the water’s surface.**

**The reflection looking back at her was someone she could not recognize.**

**The face that looked back was the same, but her dark hair had been replaced by flawless white. In her open mouth, her canines were visible and they had become much more prominent and sharp than they had always been. White markings tinted the lid of her eyes, almost as though she had eyeshadow applied. Perhaps the most noticeable change to her was how she now had two triangular shapes atop her head, the color of them matching the white that had replaced her dark hair. Her eyes zeroed in on them, and they twitched a few times under her scrutinizing gaze.**

**She didn’t know what came over her next as she extended a hand towards the water’s surface. Upon making contact it did not ripple as she had expected it to. Instead, the spot she touched froze on contact. The small spot of ice began to grow larger and larger, and soon the entire lake looked to be frozen over.**

**Kagome lifted her hand from the surface of the ice, and she glanced down at it.**

**What… was this?**

…

 

The lacking presence of the ravenette was detected by Kaname right away when it came time for the classes to switch. The frown on his face deepened a fraction when he could not spot her, and he decided to approach Yuki in his desire to know why she was not there.

Most everyone else had already gone, but he had stopped next to the small girl.

Yuki glanced up at him, though she appeared a bit distracted. It brought a feeling of concern to his chest, but he hid it as he asked about Kagome’s location.

“She got taken to the infirmary,” Yuki responded, her worry being expressed clearly in her voice. “She fainted this morning. Headmaster says she most likely just has a fever, but it was so sudden. He said he’d let us know if anything changed, but, since he hasn’t said anything, I assume she is still asleep.”

“I see…”

Yuki blinked at his response. She glanced away for a second, but when she looked back, she realized he no longer stood where he had been. She searched for him. It did not take her long to find him. He was not heading to class as the rest of the Night students had. He was heading the opposite direction to where the infirmary was, instead. Yuki was about to follow after him, but she stopped herself and turned her attention to some of the lingering Day Class girls.

She wouldn’t be able to go check on Kagome until much later. She had other things that required her attention, and she knew Kagome would rather her do what she needed to do opposed to rushing to the infirmary to worry over her.

Anyway… she trusted Kaname. After all, he seemed to hold so much care when it came to Kagome.

With that thought in her head, Yuki turned and rushed over to rejoin Zero and resume her duties on the school’s campus.

* * *

The room was quiet when he entered it, and he spotted Kaien standing over the sink. When he turned, Kaname could spot he rag he held in his hand. He stepped from his way as Kaien went over to Kagome, and he placed the rag back on her forehead.

“What are you doing here?” Kaien questioned Kaname with a somewhat light tone. 

“Yuki informed me of Kagome’s condition,” Kaname respond as he stepped around Kaien and went to stand at the girl’s bedside. “I wished to check in on her. Is it alright for me to do so?”

“I suppose so,” Kaien said before letting out a sigh. “She hasn’t had any changes since I got here, though. She was given something meant to lighten her fever, but I don’t think it did anything.”

A knock on the door prevented Kaname from saying anything else, and Kaien turned towards the door at hearing someone call out to him.

“Sir, the visitor from the other day has returned, and he is requesting to see you.”

At the mention of the silver-haired man that had come to see Kagome the other day, Kaien perked up a bit. “Really? What perfect timing…” he muttered to himself before turning to Kaname. “I will go speak to Kagome’s friend and let him know what happened. Do you mind staying with her until someone comes in?”

“Of course not,” was Kaname’s response, and soon the door closed. He was left on his own in the room with the girl laying as still as ever. 

Kaname glanced down at her, and he set his palm against the surface of her cheek. The heat behind her skin was uncomfortable to him, and he could only imagine the discomfort she was in. He frowned and sat down on the edge of the bed, and he let his thumb trace over her lower lip.

He stayed like that for a while. Despite the state she was currently in, he did enjoy the opportunity to remain so close to her.

“Do not come in yet.”

The voice came paired with the opening of a door, and Kaname didn’t have to move in order to place who had just entered the room. He did not know who the silver-haired man had been speaking to, but whoever it was seemed to obey him. 

Kaname let his hand remain where it was against Kagome’s cheek, the low growl that came from the intruder doing nothing at all to cause him to worry.

Sesshoumaru leveled a glare at the vampire at Kagome’s side, and he attempted to pay him no mind as he went around to the other side. The leech would be dealt with soon enough. Right now he had bigger worries than the annoyance that stuck to the girl he had come to find.

A foreign aroma got caught in his nose. It stood out against Kagome’s natural scent, and it was different than the stench of the vampire present in the room. Sesshoumaru lifted her hand and sniffed the surface of her palm. Though faint, the scent originated from there. A scowl appeared on his face as he lowered her arm back to the bed.

A makeshift potion to remove the chains placed upon her demon blood? How long has this person been planning to do such a thing?

There were two ways to awake her demon blood. One where he unsealed it once she was prepared, and another that took a mixture of dangerous herbs and liquids. Exposure to the latter would pull her into a comatose state, just as she was now, as the buried side was forced to awaken.

How much had she gotten exposed to?

Appearance-wise she still looked the same, but there was a different air around her.  An air of change surrounded her, and he realized it was too late to keep it from happening.

He growled out a curse and set his hand against her opposite cheek. His fingers touched Kaname’s and he shoved the vampire’s hand off of Kagome.

“Do not touch her in her current state,” he growled at him. 

It was impossible to stop it once it began, but he could slow it down so it would keep from causing her too much pain. Though premature, he could awaken her buried side. In doing so he would be able to put off the effects of what had entered her bloodstream.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and let his hand slip from the side of her face. A second later he slipped his fingers under the collar of her shirt, and he tugged the chain of the jewel until it snapped.

The jewel rolled to the floor, and it clattered noisily as it hit the wood he stood on. He plucked it up from the ground and let it fall to rest in his pants pocket for the time being.

He didn’t bother to demand the vampire present in the room to leave, more than ready to kill him if need be before he tore the skin of his palm with a sharp fang. He did something similar to her neck using one of his claws before placing his bleeding palm against her wound.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air, and he lowered his head until his nose pressed against her own.

“I will pull you back, so forgive me for doing this so early, Kagome.” He sounded genuinely apologetic at that moment, and it sounded wrong to even him. He knew she would face a lot of pain later on, but it would be less painful than if he left her to the potion’s effects. He sealed her lips with his own to give the final push that was needed.

A white glow surrounded her, and he began to burn at all points of contact he had with her. It would be more intense for her, and he tightened his hold on her knowing that. She squirmed in her unconsciousness, but she never once resurfaced from her current state.

It was a relief when he severed all contact with her.

He watched in silent concern as she remained the same way she had been upon his arrival. It took only a few seconds after their split contact, but it still caused him to freeze all movement.

Her dark hair transitioned into a light shade of silver, and her nails sharpened into dangerous points. A pair of triangular ears popped up from the hidden depths of her hair, the action causing the white tresses to become a mess in the spot where the ears had been pressed against her skull and buried beneath her hair. Though her body was hidden by blankets, Sesshoumaru assumed her tail and come along with her ears, too, and that when the blankets were pulled back, her tail would be swaying free.

When her eyes opened at last, the blue shade she had before was no more. Gold had replaced the blue, the color almost completely identical to his own. There was a constant air of him around her, and he was at peace with it. At this point in time, her demon nature would not be strong enough to fight back against the spiritual energy she had, but, now that it was paired with his own, it would be enough to keep her stable.

“Sesshoumaru-sama…”

The weakened whimper that came from her was heard by him, and he set his palm against her cheek. Her expression contorted in confusion at his action, and she pushed herself up into a sitting position. She looked around the room once she had gotten into a good enough position, and her now-gold eyes landed on the form of Kaname.

“How nice…” she whispered, leaning into Sesshoumaru’s touch and nuzzling against his palm out of reflex. “You look to be getting along with Kaname-kun.”

He bit down the words he wished to respond with, and he instead just shook his head. “How are you feeling?” he questioned her.

“Everything hurts,” she admitted to him, “but I think I’m okay.” Without warning, she sat up onto her knees, and her arms went around him as she pressed her nose against his chest. He did not move away or push her back down. “I’m so glad you are here… that you are okay. What a relief.”

He noted how she had yet to take notice of her hair, or the tail swaying back and forth behind her.

It was quiet for a few seconds more before he heard her confused gasp, and he felt her retract her grip from him. Silence reclaimed the room as she took to looking over herself, starting with her hands and the claws now present on them, and ending with the twitching ears upon her head.

“It… it wasn’t a dream?”

“There are things I need to explain to you, but I think it will be best to put that off until you are fully awake. It will take some time for you to get used to being as you are.” Sesshoumaru fell silent then and he let out a sigh. “I will return in just a moment,” he told her, hearing as she gave a noise of mute complaint at the idea of him leaving again so soon.

He stepped from the room, and she was tempted to follow after him. The weakness in her legs prevented her from doing so, however, and her ears flattened against her skull in defeat.

“Kagome?”

She picked her head up at hearing the voice, and her eyes landed on the figure of Kaname. He stood watching her, and a small speck of worry formed inside her chest. She probably looked strange to him now…

Still, she was happy to see him.

Kagome extended a hand to him, and he wasted no time in stepping towards her and sealing the space that had been put in between them. He took her hand in his own, only to feel as she pulled his hand towards her. She pressed his palm against her cheek and she nuzzled against it.

He was relieved to feel her skin underneath his touch. It was much cooler than before, and the red hue that had been on her face had faded into nothing.

She remembered Sesshoumaru’s comment on Kaname’s scent, and she furrowed her brows in confusion. “You smell nice…” she murmured against his palm.

Without any warning, the door to the room opened once again, and the contact he had with her was torn away from him.

He was brushed out of the way instantly, and he narrowed his eyes at the auburn-haired boy that had forced his way in between him and the still adjusting girl. Kagome’s companion had returned, and he now calmly stood with his back pressed to the wall and a hidden smirk on his face.

The boy separating Kagome from him was young, and he seemed to be a child slightly older than the girl that clung to Sesshoumaru. To humans, he looked to be no older than thirteen.

Just as he was about to make the request- or more so the demand- that he moved, Kagome’s voice caused him to swallow every word he was about to say.

“Shippo-chan!” 

She threw her arms around him, and the boy curled up next to her on the bed, readily returning the hug she offered him.

“Mama!” Shippo gave a response without hesitation, seeing as the only stranger present in the room was the vampire looming over his mother. Shippo set his head against Kagome’s breasts, and he let out a content hum when his mother started to pet his hair. He glanced back at the dark-haired vampire, and Shippo sent him a glare that slipped past Kagome’s watch. The ears on top of Shippo’s head twitched a few times, and he wrapped his tail around Kagome’s own silver one.

Sesshoumaru felt a sense of satisfaction upon spotting the now stiff form of Kaname. 

It was honestly more pleasing than he had expected.

“I went to retrieve your son, seeing how you were in such a bad state, Mi- Kagome,” Sesshoumaru told her. He spared no mind to the form of Kaname, even as the vampire glanced back at him. 

“My Shippo-chan has gotten so big,” Kagome cooed at the fox she held. “You took care of him all this time, didn’t you?” she questioned Sesshoumaru.

“... unfortunately.”


End file.
